The Great War 2068-2087: Special Region Campaign
by Nuker850
Summary: Two mystical portals materialize in the climax of the 3rd Great War. A unique yet inevitably doomed frontier for an Empire, two enclaves in war forced to adapt to peace as their citizens are slaughtered in two separate attacks, and a vast world for the two factions to explore. And new tales will be told about great individuals. Warning: AU & OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: This is not canon to the GW 2069-2087 universe.**

* * *

 _17 years ago, the 19-year War started. Already costing nearly 1,000,000 lives throughout the war, and several cities in ruin from urban combat and heavy artillery bombardments. On the year of 2078, internal conflict between forces of the UIA led to a civil war in the Alliance, the Unionists loyal with Gustav Stalhåmmar against the loyalist of Ex-Supreme Leader Aleksy Zima, who follows the ideology of Former Supreme Leader Alexander Gianapoulus. The new conflict led to the creation of the NUIA, founded by Aleksy Zima and those who are loyal with him._

 _The Coaltion of Nations was less active in combat right after their treaty with the UIA, stating:_

" _The armed forces of the United Independent Alliance will not engage any Coalition troops or any factions aligned with the Coalition (Unless provoked), if the Supreme Commander and the Coalition will agree to the following terms._

 _First, the Coalition should NOT intervene on the UIA's armed conflict against the major splinter faction that is the NUIA. And lastly, if the Coalition shall not conduct sabotage missions against the UIA, then we will not conduct such operations as well."_

 _The treaty was signed on October 15, 2081, in the Coalition Headquarters in Verdun, France._

 _Since 2082, the war has slowed down to small firefights and tank battles._

 _But today, will change the conflict and leave a huge surprise for the whole world._

* * *

 **Ginza, Tokyo, Japan**

 **February 13, 2085 AD**

It was just another day in the district of Ginza, busy workers and pedestrians walked through the streets to wherever they're going to, motor vehicles swarmed the roads. The cities, towns, and provinces of Japan has been reinforced with military fortifications for preparations in case of another possible surprise attack by the UIA or the NUIA. Pillboxes with HMGs were scattered throughout the areas of Ginza.

Focusing on the Ginza Train Station, a young man walked out of the train. He spoke through a hidden earpiece, "This is CVQRG scout officer Arata Matsushita. Reporting in, no criminal activity was encountered on patrol route."

A voice responded in the earpiece, "Acknowledged, you may finish the rest of your patrol route. Report back to HQ after patrol duty." He began walking towards the stairs leading down to the exit. "Affirmative." He then resumed his patrol route, continuing the path down to the train station.

He slow down his pace, in order to glance around the area, scanning for any suspicious activity. So far, just civilians walking around the station. He then carry on to his patrol duty.

He was about to exit the station when someone suddenly bumped into him, startling him. "Pardon me sir, I'm just in a hurry." The man instantly apologized. He observed the man, who looks like the same age as him, wearing a military-style jacket. The man's face looked very familiar to him, who looked at him the same manner.

"Katsuo Yōji, is that you?" he asked, the man's eyes widened. "Arata?!" Katsuo laughed heartily and gave him a friendly hug. The two moved to the side as to not block the exit of the station.

"Long time no see friend, how's your life going?"

"After graduation, I was enlisted into the defence force. I became a reservist last week and was allowed to return back home just yesterday. How about you?"

"I'm temporarily in a voluntary quick-response force of the Coalition for 3 months. I was planning on joining the armed forces of the Coalition next year. So why are you in a hurry anyway?"Katsuo glanced at his watch. "It's my sister's birthday."

"Then you certainly must go on your way home, you don't wanna miss it. Don't ya?" He nodded, "Alright, see you next time!" The two friends bid their farewells and went on their own ways.

It was a whole different world in front of them, huge buildings made of glass, people in weird clothing walking around the streets, and metal, horseless, wagons. It was incredibly fascinating. A world that they're going to conquer, for the Empire!

Shield line up in front covering the footsoldiers and cavalrymen. Various beasts and conscripts with weapons held, ready for battle.

Pedestrians started noticing the huge structure that lays in front of them. Several figures in Roman army-style uniform were inside the structure. A scout UAV launched from a Overwatch-class 'Iron Zeppelin' noticed the structure and encircled around it, observing it from high above.

"This is Watcher-3, observing an peculiar structure in the Ginza district. Do we have any sources of this event?" said the operator.

It took a few minutes for the captain to respond "...Negative, Watcher-3, continue monitor of the structure."

"Affirmative." he replied and resumed observation. Right after their chat, the sound of a horn was heard throughout the street. Then a dragon flew out of the structure as hundreds of soldiers flood out of the Gate, while archers rain down arrows on anyone unfortunate enough to get hit. Infantry and cavalrymen on their horses started attacking any civilians they could reach.

The UAV operator saw this and immediately report to the captain. "Captain, Ginza district is being attacked!"

"Can you identify who's attacking?" asked the captain.

"Sir, several men in Roman empire-style armor, with spears and swords started attacking civilians." After hearing this, the captain was as confused as the operator.

"Are there any units capable in responding to the situation?"

"...Let me check sir. I see several police and Enforcer units near the plaza sir."

"Acknowledged, will contact them to set up a defensive perimeter and secure any civilian bystanders."

* * *

 **Right at the same time**

"What in the world is that?!" exclaimed Arata, looking at a dragon swooping down from the sky. "That looks way too real..." He muttered, a voice called from his earpiece. "This is VQRG Ginza district Command, any units nearby the Ginza district please respond. We are under attack!" Another voice came in as well, "Scout officer Matsushita, what's your status? Please respond."

"This is Scout officer Arata Matsushita, I just witness a dragon swoop down on innocent civilians. Will investigate. Acknowledge?"

"Acknowledged." He ran towards a bridge where the dragon attacked previously. Several civilians and a police officer were hiding under it. The officer fired his handgun at the dragon flying above, luckily hitting the rider of it. The rider fell down, but quickly recovered and took out a dagger, ready to strike the officer. He was about to charge at him when Arata pulled out his suppressed pistol and fired at the rider. Hitting him right at the neck and chest, a swordsman saw this and began charging on them. He fired his handgun again at the swordsman, hitting him in the left leg.

"Agh!" A cry of pain came from the swordsmen, lying down and clutching his injured leg. He approached the injured swordsman and looked towards the officer. "Do you have any handcuffs?" The police officer reached through a pocket in his vest, taking out a handcuff. He took it and put it on the wounded swordman. "He glanced at the civilians "Is everybody okay?"

A woman stepped forward carrying another woman, "My friend needs help, she's injured." A cut was visible in her arm. Matsushita examined the wound, "Good thing it did not hit in the vital areas." He checked her breating, still somewhat normal. "She still has a few more minutes." He took out a small medicine box from his bag. He grab a dressing from the box and cover the wound with it, then fastened it with a bandage.

"Scout officer Matsushita, this is VQRG Sergeant Daisuke Mori, what's your status?"

"I have 4 civilians sir, one injured, female. She'll need medical assistance. And a captured enemy footsoldier sir."

"Copy, Scout officer Matsushita, meet us at the Coalition Outpost-Ginza." Then the earpiece became silent.

"We'll have to go to the Coalition outpost in Ginza district, it's just a few meters from here."

* * *

 **Coalition Outpost-Ginza, Ginza District, Tokyo**

The outpost was a mess, injured civilians with medics tending scattered through the base, some even in the open area of the outpost due to full space in the medical room. Quick-response force soldiers and Enforcer units coming in and out, with more panicked and injured civvies coming in. Among them were Scout officer Arata Matsushita and the civilians with him.

He finally found Segreant Mori, accompanied by several CVQRG operatives. "There you are Matsushita-san, glad you made it back alive. Good work Matsushita, the medical personnel will do the rest and the enemy you captured will be detained for interrogation." Two Enforcer officers took the prisoner in custody for interrogation while a QRF combat life-saver approached them, "Please help this lady, she needs medical attention now." said Arata.

"Yes sir. Please come with me ma'am." He brought her along with her friend to the clinic for medical treatment.

"Right, Command instructed us to assist the Enforcers and Quick-response men at the Plaza Ginza, near the area where the structure was located."

"Structure?" asked Arata, apparently heard about it just now. "The 'structure', where the hostile forces came from. Ask questions later, we need to move."

He suddenly remembered about Katsuo, he hoped he's okay in this chaotic mess.

 **Somewhere in Ginza...**

Among the messy streets of Ginza, lays a tipped-over Highway bus. Katsuo Yōji was among the passengers of the bus. A grunt came from him as he slowly woke up.

"Ugh...What happened?" he tried recalling what occurred while ago. He was riding on a bus from Tokyo to Yokohama city. Then a dragon, an actual dragon attacked the bus, tipping it over. He surveyed around the bus, most are either unconscious or injured. He checked on a few of the unconscious passengers, they still have normal breathing, luckily. Next, the injured survivors. He examined a young man, definitely around the age of 16 to 18. A few minor cuts from either the broken glass or the impact from the dragon's attack. "It hurts..." he muttered. "Don't worry, I'll get help. Just stay here and guard the others."

He'll need to find help, and so he began climbing out of the bus, while trying to avoid a few broken glass.

The streets were in disorder, corpses were laying around, and abandoned cars were scattered across the roads. He spot the corpse of a policeman, he searched through it hoping to find any weapons. He managed to find a standard handgun of the Police. A half-used magazine in the handgun and 2 magazines in his vest. He shoved them into his jacket pocket, for self-defense.

A Coalition SAT-72 hovered across him, eventually landing on a 2-story building. A group of armed, black-uniformed men came out of it. They didn't look like the local SWAT nor the Special Assault Team units, their technology looked even more advanced than the Coalition's SRAG special forces.

One of them saw Katsuo and alerted his other teammates, who turned to look at him as well. They went down the building through a doorway. After a few seconds, they exited the building. He hopped off the bus and ran towards them. He can now see what they looked like properly, they wear a specialized tactical gear and gasmasks covering their faces.

"Help! Please help! Several other passengers in the bus needs help." He point towards the bus. The leading one nodded, definitely the team leader. They climbed up the tipped-over bus, then checked inside if anyone's still alive. Fortunately, they're still okay, most of them are now wide awake, but still injured.

They looked up and noticed Katsuo and the men in black tactical uniform. They cheered and cried for help, glad that help has finally arrived. "Maeda, Hashimoto, secure the perimeter and watch for any hostiles." The other two climbed off and followed his order.

Katsuo and the team leader climbed into the bus and assist the passengers in getting out of the bus. After every passenger was rescued, they began climbing up the window, when they heard a grunt. The driver of the bus, still alive, was crawling out of his seat.

 _How foolish of me!_ He thought to himself as he forgot about the driver. He went to him and examined him for any wounds, a few injuries in the forehead, but not fatal. Now that they rescued every single civilian, including the driver, they'll need to find a safe place for them.

"Where to go now, sir?" He decided to ask the leader, who stared at him before saying, "We'll escort you back to Coalition outpost-Ginza, there you can get medical treatment for you and the other civilians."

"But what about the mission sir?" asked one of his teammates. "2nd Battotai Squad will arrive at the rendezvous point in about 15-20 minutes. We still have time to escort these civilians back to outpost-Ginza."

"Maeda, Hashimoto, scout ahead for hostiles."

They suddenly heard fast horse footsteps, it was getting closer and closer, the source of the noise then appeared. 6 cavalrymen charging right at them, swords in their hands.

"Set up a defensive position! Get the civilians to cover! You, do you know how to fire a gun?" The leader asked him, he nodded in return. "Here." The squad leader said, handing him a PDW model-280, a new handgun from the OverEye Industries. "Er...I have one." Katsuo showed him the handgun he got from the police officer. "Aight, that'll do." . The men took cover behind wrecked cars while the civilians hide behind a van.

"Pick off the riders!" They began firing at the cavalrymen, hitting the riders with great precision. The last cavalryman was charging towards Katsuo.

He aimed his handgun towards him, pressing the trigger.

The horsemen fell of his horse, dead.

"Area secure. Hostiles eliminated. Move on."

 **Coalition Outpost-Ginza**

The Soldiers managed to successfully lead the civilians safely back to the outpost. The passengers and the driver gave their thanks towards the men, of course, they gave their gratitude as well towards Katsuo. The fireteam approached him, the team leader spoke, "You've done a great job saving the civilians, and helping us fend off against those horsemen."

"What's your name?" asked the Medic of the team, obvious from the red cross emblem in his tactical vest.

"Katsuo Yōji of the JSDF sir." said Katsuo, a wide smile on his face.

"Ah, so you're part of the Self-Defence force. That's why your aim was pretty good while ago." The team leader hold up his radio, then reattached it to the pocket. "We gotta go now. 2nd Battotai Squad will arrived at the meeting point in 5 minutes. Call a quick fast transportation."

A few minutes later, an Armored Car pulled up in front of the outpost. The men stepped in it and it sped off to wherever their location is.

* * *

 **Hoped you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Information** :

 **[1] The UIA (United Independent Alliance) is a multinational political, military and economic union know for its Ultranationalistic behaviour and resentment against Muslims and ((Jews)). The UIA was mainly founded on November 14, 2025 by several nations including Sweden, Greece, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Portugal. During the 2030s, several African coutries were annexed by the UIA in order to expand territory, allies, and influence. On the year of 2068, the UIA launched a surprise attack on France, occupying several cities in the SouthEast area. After the invasion of France, follows the numerous battles and conflicts of the '19-year War'.**

 **[2] The CoN (Coalition of Nations) is an International organization similar to the UN. The difference being having its own well-established armed forces, the UNATF, or United Nationalities Armed Task Force, the armed forces of the Coalition was barely heard until 2058 (Renamed to Coalition Armed Forces). It was created on August 5, 2049 in Verdun, France by several countries including UK, Germany, France, USA, Russia, Spain, Australia, and the Chinese Union (Temporarily disbanded in 2067-2074). The CoN was momentarily dissolved in 2062 after a controversy of 'human rights violation' accused by international 'human rights groups'. The scandal resulted in many nations leaving the Coalition, with its Armed Task Force forbidden from conducting any major armed operations.**

 **[3] The NUIA is a faction that is formally part of the UIA. It was created by former self-appointed Supreme Leader Aleksy Zima and officials that are loyal to ex-Supreme Leader Alexander Gianapoulus.**

 **[4] Coalition Voluntary Quick-Response Group is an armed volunteer group created by the Coalition in order to fill a role of operatives that would be ready to respond in emergency situations. The operatives were to be trained in basic military, guerilla, and reconnaissance training. The more well-trained and armed is the Coalition's Quick-Reaction Force. Enlistment in the CVQRG is allowed starting at the age of 20.**

 **[5] The OverWatch-class Iron Zeppelin is a medium type of "Iron Zeppelin" used as observation and small infantry support roles in the sky used by the Coalition.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Overwatch-class IZ**

 **Type: Armoured airship**

 **Country of Origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturers: Valhalla Aeronautics Corp, OverEye Industries**

 **Users: CoN, Germany, Spain and Japan**

 **Armaments: 4x 90mm sidecannons**

 **6x 7.92mm Mg40 MG turrets**

 **Countermeasures: 4x flare canisters**

 **Fuel capacity: 1800 liters**

 **Crew: 15 crewmembers**

 **[6] Enforcers are the military police units acting as the main police force of the Coalition. Enforcer units are always commanded by an Inquisitor officer.**

 **[7] SAT-72 is a VTOL originally designed and manufactured by Vickers Corp, Aeronautic sector. It was used as a quick transport for infantry units by the Coalition and the Royal Armed Forces and Air Force.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Swift Aerial Transport model-2072**

 **Type: Tilt-jet VTOL aircraft**

 **Country of Origin: UK**

 **Manufacturers: Vickers Corp, Mitshubishi Heavy Industries (Japanese licensed manufacturer)**

 **Users: CoN, Japan, UK, and Australia**

 **Armaments: 50. cal Type-82 HMG turret**

 **Fuel Capacity: 1600 liters**

 **Crew: 8 (1 pilot, 1 gunner, 6 passenger seats)**

 **[8] The Swift Response and Attack Group (SRAG) is the first special forces group of the CoN. It was established in 2050 in order to respond quickly against any terrorist and criminal activity that'll need swift attacks and quick elimination of hostile forces. The German SturmTruppen elite units helped in forming the SRAG.**

 **[9] PDW-280**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Personal Defense Weapon-280**

 **Type: Handgun**

 **Manufacturer: OverEye Industries**

 **Cartridge: 9mm**

 **Feed System: 20-round box magazine**

 **Users: OverEye private security, CoN, Japan, USA, UK, and Canada**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm working on this story while simultaneously trying to update my first story. I'm gonna try my best to update this.**

 **NOTE: GATE- Jietai Kare no Chi nite, Kaku Tatakeri belongs to its respective owners, I only own the original characters.**

 **Lord NV: I'll try to do that on the next chapters.**

 **Malayknight: Sorry lad, the UIA was considered as the antagonist in this story. Ironically, they do have a small portion of Muslim conscripts in their armed forces from 2073 until 2079. Most of which have participated in the invasion of Middle and SouthEast Asian countries.**

Katsuo's phone ringed in his pocket, he's surprised that his phone's still okay after the bus crash, nonetheless, at least it's not broken. He reached for it to see who's calling, it's her sister.

"Brother! Are you okay? Did you see what happened at Ginza?" hearing from her sister's tone, she's very worried.

"Yes, I'm fine. I managed to get to a safe place." He heard a sigh from her sister, "Glad you're safe, mother and I were worried of you. We tried calling you for more than 5 times."

"Stop worrying so much, I know how to survive in a situation like this." But the truth is, he and the other passengers might not have get back safely without those men in black's help.

"Eh...I'm sorry sis, I might arrive there la-"

"It's okay bro, Better late than never.. We'll wait for you!" He chuckled "Alright, I'll be there." He hang off the phone and began walking towards the gate of the outpost. Before he could even get out off the base, a QRF rifleman acting as a gate sentry stopped him.

"Hold on sir, please state you reason of departure." The sentry guard asked. "Going to the bus station, why?"

The sentry frowned, "Sorry sir, but most public transportations leaving Ginza are temporarily closed now until the district is secured. It's best if you stay here, the outpost is a lot more secure than the streets." He couldn't object against what the guard said, the invasion hasn't been fully repelled, the streets are now a risky place to be in.

"However, there will be transportation for evacuation of civilians arriving in 30 minutes sir. That might be a better chance for you to get out of the city, just head to Garage number 3."

Katsuo nodded, "Thank you for the information sir!"

As advised by the rifleman, he went to Garage-3, located at the vehicle storage yard of the outpost.

The garage was quiet, with only a few civilians and military personnel staying in it. He sat on one of the benches and wait for the transport to arrive.

 **20 minutes ago**

 **Plaza Ginza, Tokyo**

The Pillbox positions were the defences that managed to prevent the invaders from reaching further into the cities. It was operated by three men, a gunner, one loader, and one spotter for betting locating of enemy forces. Two riflemen acting as sentry guards the entrance of the pillbox.

A pillbox stationed at Plaza Ginza was among the first military forces to witness the first waves of the invasion.

"Hey Fujita, how much time left before the end of our shift?" The loader of the group, Private first class Haru Fujita, looked at his watch. **13:45**

"3 hours left sir." Sergeant Daichi Oshiro, spotter of the crew, sighed. For 5 hours, they've done nothing much other than watching the endless sea of pedestrians crossing the streets, maintaining and cleaning their weapons and observation equipment.

"Hmm...How about let's play a game." suggested the gunner of the crew, Leading Private Kazuo Shimizu.

"What game?" asked Fujita.

"...How about I spy?"

"A child's game" He looked at him in a skeptical way, but gave in anyway. "Fine, you first."

"Alright, I spy...a weird structure in the middle of the street." Three of them saw it, a huge structure made of marble stood in the open. Several silhouette of several men can be seen in the dark interior of it.

"Since when did that appear?" the spotter wondered, he peeked through a periscope installed in the pillbox.

"No idea, looks like a event or something." The sergeant's radio suddenly turned on with a voice speaking, "Sergeant Oshiro, this is Watcher-3. Do you spot a large building in the middle of the street?"

"We spot one, Watcher-3. What should we do with it?"

"Resume observation of it."

"Roger."

Just after that, the playing of a horn came from the structure.

Then waves of footsoldiers and beasts came out of it, shouting war cries and charging at the civilians.

"What the...Is this is a roleplay event or something?" He watched on as pig-like beasts started hacking through civilians.

"Looks too realistic for a roleplay. Sergeant, they're attacking civilians. Permission to open fire?"

"Negative Shimizu , innocent bystanders are in the area."

Another voice called the sergeant in his radio, "Sir are you seeing this? What are they?!"

"Sato, I have no idea. Just take out as many hostiles as you can. We'll wait till the area's clear of civilians." Genzo Sato, a marksman, took out his designated marksman rifle and aimed at the enemies, picking out targets he could find.

Policemen and Enforcers arrived and started getting any civilians to safety.

"Sergeant Oshiro this is Watcher-3, QRF reinforcements will arrive at your area in 10 minutes."

"Affirmative Watcher-3, we'll try to hold them out for as long as we can." Now that the streets are clear, this gives a chance for the crew to operate their Type-82 HMG turret. Securing the ammobox, pulling the bolt carrier backward. Now ready to fire, private Kazuo pressed the trigger, releasing a barrage of 50. caliber bullets into the waves of enemies.

 **Imperial Palace, Chiyoda, Tokyo**

The residence of the Emperor, at the former site of the old Edo castle. In the Fukiage garden, the Emperor and the Japanese Prime Minister sits on a set of chairs accompanied by security agents.

The Prime Minister glanced at his watch, waiting for the foreign minister of Germany, who has been arranged for a meeting with them.

Finally, a LPT-80B flew above them, landing on an open field in the garden.

6 German Stormtroopers stepped out of the VTOL, then the foreign minister himself stepped out of the

aircraft followed by a squad of men in black tactical gear. The stormtroopers in ceremonial uniform lined up in two columns to make way for the minister. He gave a salute to the men in return.

He went towards where the Emperor and the Prime minister are waiting, they stood up and shook hands with the foreign minister.

"Pardon me for being late, the maintenance got a slight delay for repairing the transport."

"No worries Mr. Stahmer, please take a seat." and so he followed the Emperor's request.

"Let's get straight to the matter, as a symbol and celebration of the reestablishment of a military alliance between Japan and Germany. The Chancellor ordered 5 KampfPanzer II Tigers to be sent to the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force."

A wide smile was on Emperor Takashi "That's wonderful! I'm very impressed at what those Tiger tanks were able to do in Berlin and Africa."

General Takeshi Ishiyawi, a famous general of the JSDF walked towards them. He had a large frown on his face, He bowed before speaking "Good afternoon my Emperor, I've got some...unpleasant news."

"What is it General Ishiyawi?" asked the Prime minister. "Ginza district is under attack sir."

Hearing this, the Emperor's usual pleasant mood, was turned into the opposite. "By who, General?"

"We can't identify who they were yet sir, it's best if we respond to this situation immediately. Authorization to insert the ShockTrooper 2nd Battotai Squad and Fireteam B of 122nd Meiji Battalion?"

"Authorization granted my general." With the Prime minister's permission, the General walked gave a salute and walked away.

"I shall send a fireteam to assist the Shocktroopers." said the German Foreign minister, calling the black-uniformed men, the Shocktroopers to him. "Sir?" asked the leader. He told the fireteam on what they're going to do, "Yes sir."

"I called a transport to bring you and your team to Ginza district. Good luck men."

Another LPT-80 VTOL landed on the garden, the fireteam entered it and flew off to Ginza.

 **Ginza city, Tokyo**

Half of the 2nd Battotai Squad, led by Corporal Tanaka, are on top of an apartment building, observing the activities at the Gate that . While the other remaining, led by Sergeant Masuda, are on the ground waiting for Fireteam B. A SAT-72 flew above the building, fireteam B of the 122nd Meiji Battalion rappeled down to the rooftop of the apartment to meet the squad.

"What's the situation?" the team leader asked the . "So far, we only observed enemy troops coming out of the Gate. But we did saw something interesting, take a look." the corporal motioned the leader to an observation scope.

He looked through the scope and saw a man in an adorned armor, making him distinct among the normal soldiers. Many soldiers surrounding him acting as guards made him obvious as a high-ranking person.

"Looks like someone very important to the enemy, perhaps a commander or general. If we could capture him, we may get some vital information. Meet the sergeant, he's downstairs." A rifleman tapped on the corporal's shoulder and point to another direction. "Sir, I spot another fireteam arriving at our location." They saw the fireteam in an alley in front of the apartment. Fireteam B went down to the ground floor to meet up with the sergeant.

The first floor was a dimly lit small room with a security desk on the right side, a key cabinet hung behind it. Sergeant Masuda was talking with the leader of the unknown fireteam that have just arrived. He looked to the left and saw them, "Glad you're finally here, just discussing a few matters with the team leader."

"Corporal Scholz of Fireteam D, 23rd Prussian Company." The team leader introduced himself. "And you must be the Team leader of FireTeam B of the 122nd Meiji Battalion?" He nodded, "Correct."

"What's the plan?" he asked.

Masuda gestured them to follow him outside. The exterior was guarded by 2 riflemen and 1 autorifleman, scanning around the area for any hostiles.

Masuda looked left and took out his , "You guys have your binoculars?" Both of the leaders nodded, they both take out their binoculars and looked at where he's looking.

"This is the plan. Fireteam B, fireteam D, and my team will engage the enemies in the ground and capture the target. There are archers posing as lookouts, so the corporal will get rid of them and give us firing support. Any suggestions or questions?" All of them shook their heads.

"Alright, let's move." Fireteam B and Masuda's team slowly moved forward, as to not be spotted by the enemies guarding the gate

 **Plaza Ginza, Tokyo**

"12 hostile infatrymen 40 meters, front!" A VQR officer shouted as he fires his Type-78 carbine, hitting a shieldsman.

Sergeant Mori's squad and several other QRF and VQR units have been holding the plaza area against the hordes of invaders for 30 minutes.

"Tsukuda, pass me another box! I'm gonna be empty soon!" shouted Corporal Arashiro, one of the autoriflemen of the squad, with loud machine gun fire booming in the background.

Private Tsukuda frantically took out an ammobox and gave it to him "Here sir." Arashiro grip it and place it down beside him, "Thanks." He then continued firing his Type-82L machine gun.

An archer went up to one of the buildings unnoticed and aimed his bow at Matsushita, but Sato saw him and fired 3 shots at him, the archer voiced a grunt and fell down the building. He then continued on to his previous task.

"Sergeant Mori this is Watcher-3, reinforcements will arrive at your location in 5 minutes." The UAV operator called the segeant from the radio. "Acknowledged Watcher-3."

The defenders at the plaza could still last for 10-20 minutes, with the large stock of ammunition. But with the large number of enemy troops pouring out from the gate, they might get overrun soon if they're not going to have decent reinforcements arriving.

Mori spotted 3 dragons flying towards them "3 hostile dragons ahead, 70 meters!" He peeked through his scope.

One of the dragons flew in a lower altitude, but its rider was quickly shot down by someone. He scanned the view to see several black figures standing on top of an apartment. The men were revealed to be unfamiliar soldiers, firing their weapons at someone.

He looked out of his scope to see several men in black attacking the enemies guarding the gate, distracting other forces away from Mori's group.

"Unidentified men near the gate sir." Katsuo said, taking out a grenade and throwing it at a group of swordsmen.

*BOOM*

"Do not open fire on them." ordered the Sergeant, an officer approached him and gave a salute. "Sir, reinforcements have approached."

A Type-M275 airship flew over the plaza, casting a huge shadow over the plaza due to its size.

A wyvern flew up to the airship, attempting to attack the armored airship. The airship's machine guns and AA guns turned towards it, firing a barrage of bullets at it and tearing the wyvern and its rider to pieces.

It flew over the plaza and headed towards to the gate.

"Sir enemies cleared." the Sergeant said right after taking out the last guards of the camp. The target was captured by Fireteam D, and Corporal Tanaka's team provided great fire support against the hostiles. While Fireteam B and Masuda's team assaulted the camp and took out any hostile troops.

"Sweep for hostiles and secure the camp." ordered Masuda. Some troops went into the makeshift covers and posed themselves as lookout for any more hostiles, and the others patrolled the camp.

"Sergeant, come with me." Masuda motioned the sergeant to follow him.

They finally stopped at a tent, where half of the Fireteam D were guarding. They went in, the first thing they see were several men of Masuda's squad, most were searching the tent for anything useful. Corporal Schölz was standing behind a table, looking at something. Behind the corporal was the enemy high-ranking officer they captured, guarded by two men.

"Comrades, take a look at this." Schölz said, pointing at a map. The map wasn't fully drawn and the sketched part looks like the streets of Ginza.

"This confirms the Command's suspicion of the establishing of a forward-operations camp of the enemy." He glanced at the captured man, who was still unconcious.

"Alright let's move out. The Coalition and Self-defense forces will do the rest." They exit the tent with the man and was met by the sight of the large armored airship.

"Sergeant Masuda, this is the captain of the Ginza defense Airship-4. We'll give you support fire while you and your men get out of there."

A loud horn was heard again in the dark tunnelway of the gate, signifying another batch of reinforcements coming.

Two SAT-27 landed on the camp and took in the Shocktroopers, just in time for the enemy cavalrymen, swordsmen, and archers to come out of the gate.

The soldiers were shocked to see the camp in ruins, dead bodies lying around, makeshift covers broken, and tents teared.

"Where's the commander?!" The leading soldier looked around and saw a huge object in the sky. It was an elongated rod horizontally hovering in the sky.

Several rods of smaller various sizes were sticking out of its sides, pointing towards them.

The Imperial soldiers had no idea what it was, unknown that it posed an imminent doom for them.

In a split second, bright lights and flashes came from the rods, what came out were lightning rods coming right at them. "What th-"was the only words the leader could mutter before being engulfed in an explosion.

Men were cut down by heavy machinegun fire and blown apart by autocannon projectiles fired from the airship's side armaments.

After the heavy barrage of the airship, any survivors of the army tried to regroup and counter-attack. Then horse-less green carriages came into the streets.

The carriages stopped and came out were men in green uniforms. "Watcher-3, I spot several surviving hostiles, dispatch or apprehend?" The captain of the squad said.

"You have the authority to apprehend the men, but dispatch anyone who resists."

Backed by a Type-80 IFV, two JSDF squads approached the scattered survivors. The soldeirs stopped when the survivors saw them, who were frozen in confusion. Some were just staring at them and wondering who they were, while a few foolishly tried to attack the JSDF soldiers.

The men raised their rifles and open fired on the attacking hostiles. The footsoldiers were quickly gunned down.

The other survivors saw this and didn't move further, fearing they might end up like their fellow men.

"We're giving you a chance to surrender." The Squad leader informed them.

The surviving enemies were surrounded by the JSDF, so one by one, the men dropped their weapons and raised their hands up in defeat.

The squad leader raised their radio and speak into it "Watcher-3, we have secured the scattered remnants."

"Acknowledged, VQRG and QRF forces will arrive in your area to assist your men in securing the district."

3 minutes later, QRF and VQR units arrived at the scene. The commander of the VQR squad, Sergeant Daisuke Mori, walked towards them. "Sergeant Daisuke Mori, leader of Squad-24, ready to assist."

"Sergeant Yamazaki of 43rd Squad and this is Sergeant Matsui of 27th Assault Squad."

After introducing themselves, the soldiers began their objective of securing the buildings for any remaining hostiles.

"Each squad will form 2 fireteams to clear the buildings. Alright let's begin." Second fireteam consisting of Corporal Yamada, Scout officer Matsushita, officer Suzuki, and officer Hirai of VQR Squad-24 moved towards a building with a shop on the first floor. The team lined up in front of door, the corporal hold the doorknob in preparation.

"Ready?" he asked, his teamates nodded in return. He quickly opened the door and scanned the room, then they proceed to enter the shop.

The shop is in complete disorder, tables were turned over, and a few spills of liquid substance lay in the floor.

The CQB operative of the team, officer Hirai advanced further. He immediately stopped when he see a hand on the floor, behind a tipped-over table.

"Sir you've gotta see this." He slinged his carbine and crouched down, a wounded man was lying down on the floor.

"Suzuki, Matsuhita, cover us." ordered Yamada while he examined the injured man.

"Unconscious, sir."

A scream followed by a loud bang was heard upstairs, startling the men.

"Officer Suzuki, accompany Hirai here while me and Matsushita will go up."

"Yes, sir." Suzuki nodded.

"I'll lead the way up, while you, Matsushita, cover my back."

They carefully walk up the stairs, the wooden stairway made a creaking noise each step they take. This was a very nervous experience for Arata, as it was his first time in close-quarter combat.

The loud banging started again.

"Hhhaaa!" A swordsman popped out of the doorway, carrying a dagger. Corporal Yamada fired his suppressed rifle, hitting him in the chest, the corpse tumbled down the stairway.

Up on the second floor, several men were trying to break into a room. The footsoldiers were using a hand-held type of battering ram in trying to breach the door.

The leader of the men was shouting a different type of language, foreign to the two Japanese operatives.

The men were distracted in their work, giving the two a chance to strike.

The two aimed the rifles, "On the count of three, we'll take them out one by one."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

Yamada took out three hostiles while Matsushita took out the leader. After checking the area for any remaining hostiles, they began making their way towards the room that the men were trying to breach.

Corporal Yamada tried to open the door, but someone was stopping him from doing so. "Coalition Voluntary Quick-Response Group. Don't worry, you're safe now."

Seconds later, the door slid open. There were 5 civilians in it, 2 men and 3 females. Most likely to be young adults.

"Oh thank you sir, we've been trying to hide here for more than 10 minutes." One of the men stressfully said.

"Any injured?" asked Yamada. One of them stood up and carry a man, who's holding a wound near his abdomen.

"We got one sir, he got stabbed in the stomach. Please help him." one of the girls pleaded.

Yamada nodded, "Matsushita, help him carry the wounded."

The Corporal led them down the stairs while Matsushita and the other man carried the injured man.

Downstairs, several QRF medics were carrying the unconscious man they encountered while ago. Hirai and Suzuki were sitting down on a table, their hands and vests were bloodied.

They immediately stood up when they saw Corporal Yamada and officer Matsushita returned with several civilians in tow. 2 JSDF infantrymen approached them and escorted the civilians out.

"Sir, the person is in critical condition. But he'll survive." reported combat officer Hirai.

"Good, let's report back to the Sergeant."

The streets were now better secured due to the JSDF and Coalition forces' counterattack against the invaders. The enemy forces attempted to try another route for an assault against the city defenses, but were destroyed by JSDF reinforcements. AH-75 gunship helicopters strafed down enemy footsoldiers, Type-74 SPAAs shot down the remaining wyverns in the sky, IFVs and light tanks were quickly deployed to support the infantry, and armored airships wiped out enemy targets from high altitudes.

Sergeant Mori and Yamazaki were outside talking with each other in a makeshift command post.

"The buildings we've checked have been secured, just gotta wait for Yamada's team and the 27th Assault Squad."

A rifleman of the 27th Assault squad peeked into the tent, "Sir, Corporal Yamada and his team have returned."

Second fireteam, led by Corporal Yamada, entered the temporary command post, a medium-sized tent with communication equipment and officers operating them.

"Corporal Yamada, now that you and your team are back, that means 43rd Squad's the only left that haven't returned yet." A radio operator walked towards Sergeant Mori and whispered into his ears.

"It seems the Command wants us back at the main HQ, let's move men. We don't want them waiting do we?"

A H-70K transport chopper landed in front of the tent to pick up Squad-24. A Coalition officer sat in a seat, waiting for the squad.

"Ginza district-Squad-24?" the officer asked.

Mori nodded, "Alright, hop in guys."

The helicopter took off after extracting the VQR squad, transporting them to the main VQR headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo.

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Information:**

 **[1] The Type-82 HMG is a locally-made heavy machine gun primarily used by the JSDF.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: Type-82 Heavy Machine Gun**

 **Type: Heavy machine gun**

 **Country of origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Sumitomo Heavy Industries**

 **Cartridge: 50. caliber**

 **Feed system: 200-rounds belt-fed ammo box**

 **Firemode: Automatic**

 **User: Japan**

 **[2] LTP-80 is a German VTOL transport aircraft used as troop transportation. The LTP-80B is a modified variant used as transport for high-ranking personnel, with advanced countermeasures and uparmored for better protection against attacks.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: _LuftPersonenTräger-80_**

 **Type: Tilt-jet VTOL aircraft**

 **Country of origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturer: Valhalla Aeronautics Corp**

 **Users: Germany, Spain, Austria, and CoN**

 **Main Armaments: 2x AMG-75 heavy machine gun**

 **Secondary Armaments: 2x pintle-mounted Mg-40 HMG (Only for Assault variant)**

 **Countermeasures: 8x flare canisters**

 **Fuel capacity: 900 liters**

 **Crew: 3-4 (2 pilots, 2 gunners)**

 **[3] The _KampfPanzer_ II "Tiger" is a German heavy battle tank known for its defence of Berlin and successful use in the 2nd African Campaign.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: _KampfPanzer II_ "Tiger"**

 **Type: Heavy battle tank**

 **Country of origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturers: Krupp, OverEye Industries, and Porsche**

 **Users: Germany, CoN, Japan, and Austria**

 **Main Armament: 210mm Smoothbore gun**

 **Secondary Armament: 1x coaxial Mg-48 HMG**

 **1x Mg75 HMG remote turret**

 **Speed: 65 km/h**

 **Fuel capacity: 1,200 liters**

 **Operation range: 600 km**

 **Crew: 5 (Driver, Gunner, Commander, Loader, and Machine gunner)**

 **[4] The ShockTrooper, other names, ShockCorps, Special Service (Deutsch: _SchockTruppen_ ) is the secretive elite special forces of the Coalition of Nations. Created in 2051 by General Frederick Goettner along with some SturmTruppen commanders, the creation of the ShockTrooper is highly supported by Former Supreme Commander Vadim Sokolov.**

 **The ShockTrooper unit consists of three divisions:**

 **Combat Division _(Kampf Abteilung)-_ The main division of the Shocktroopers, they participate in combat operations.**

 **Tactical Intelligence Group _(Taktische Intelligenz Gruppe)-_ The smallest section of the ShockTrooper, they distribute military intelligence and information for the Combat Division. They always posed themselves as Coalition Intelligence Division personnel.**

 **Strafverlofgung Abteilung (Law Enforcement Detachment)- These section fills the role of providing law enforcement support for Enforcers and authorities of a specific state/ country. They would also participate in raids with SWAT groups if ever needed.**

 **Armored Combat Division ( _Gepanzerte Kampf Abteilung_ )- The experimental division of the unit, these were specially selected for armored vehicles training to test new armored vehicles, especially tanks.**

 **Since the elite unit is considered as secretive, the shocktroopers would disguise themselves as SRAG operatives and other special forces (i.e. Navy SEAL and SAS).**

 **The 2nd Battotai Squad's name was inspired by the Battotai/Battoutai or "Sword Corps", is a police unit during the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. The Battotai March song was inspired by the Sword corps. Note: This info may not be fully accurate, as there's not much information behind the song and the Sword corps.**

 **The 122nd Meiji Squad, of course, was named after Emperor Meiji.**

 **[5] The Type-78 Carbine is the carbine variant of Type-77 assault rifle of the JSDF.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: Type-78 Carbine**

 **Type: Carbine**

 **Country of origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Howa**

 **Cartridge: 7.92mm**

 **Feed system: 30-round box magazine**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, Semi-automatic**

 **User: Japan**

 **[6] The Type-82L is the lighter version of the Type 82 HMG.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: Type-82L machine gun**

 **Type: General purpose machine gun**

 **Country of origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Sumitomo Heavy Industries**

 **Cartridge: 12mm**

 **Feed system: 100-round belt-fed ammo box**

 **Firemodes: Automatic**

 **User: Japan**

 **[7] Type-M275 light support airship is the license-manufactured version of the British LS-275.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: Type-M275 light-support armored airship**

 **Type: armored airship**

 **Country of origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Kawasaki Aerospace Company (licensed manufacturer)**

 **User: Japan**

 **Armaments: 2x 70mm AT cannons**

 **4x 35mm autocannons**

 **6x 20mm AA turrets**

 **6x Type-82 HMGs**

 **Countermeasures: 6x flare canisters**

 **2x AirShield defense system**

 **Fuel capacity: 2000 liters**

 **Crew: 30 crewmembers**

 **[8] Type-80 IFV is the upgrade of the Type-63 IFV, improved with better armor plates and upgunned with a 30mm autocannon and an ATGM launcher.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: Type-80 IFV**

 **Type: Infantry fighting vehicle**

 **Country of origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries**

 **User: Japan**

 **Main Armaments: 1x 30mm autocannon**

 **1x ATGM launcher**

 **Secondary Armament: 1x 7.62mm MG turret**

 **Speed: 76 km/h**

 **Fuel capacity: 800 liters**

 **Operation range: 550 km**

 **Crew: 4 (Driver, gunner, commander, loader)**

 **[9] The H-70K is the Japanese version of the American UH-70 helicopter.**

 **Basic information:**

 **Name: H-70K**

 **Type: Transport helicopter**

 **Country of origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Kawasaki Aerospace Company**

 **User: Japan**

 **Armaments: 2x pintle mounted Type-82L MG**

 **2x rocket pods (optional)**

 **Fuel capacity: 1200 liters**

 **Crew: 8 (pilot, co-pilot, 2 gunners, 4 passenger seats)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Since 2083, The Eastern and Western Europe fronts have been reduced to small-scale battles, with the Russian front still being the most active of them all. Due to the firefights growing smaller, many hoped that the war is about to end._

* * *

 **Outpost B, Gothenburg, Sweden**

 **February 12, 2085 AD**

 _Sweden, like all the other UIA nations, have been heavily fortifying its cities, towns and provinces for defense mainly against the NUIA. Gothenburg was one of the cities of Sweden with heavy presence of military. Naval vessels guard the Port and patrol the waters around the city, the old Älvsberg fortress was refurbished and rearmed for protection against naval and aerial threats, and outposts were constructed around the city districts for law enforcement and defense._

A cold afternoon, some warm coffee, and another report to fill in. Just another boring day.. thought Dominikus Winther as he slouch on his chair. A Lieutenant of the Swedish Army, he was transferred to the Armed forces of the UIA in 2071. Participating in several battles in Africa and Eastern Europe.

He looked at the clock, **4:57 PM.** _Better fill in the report now_.He looked back at his computer screen, and began typing.

 _ **February 12, 2085**_

 _ **One of our infantry patrols found a suspicious man outside of the Ullevi stadium, attempting to enter it. The suspect has been apprehended and questioned. His garments resembled Medieval-era clothing. He spoke a foreign language, possibly Latin.**_

A knock on the door interrupted his typing, "Who is it?" he asked.

"It's Berhardt sir, there's something you've gotta see." He got off his chair and went out of his office.

Corporal Berhardt Carstensen was standing outside, waiting for Lieutenant Winther.

"What's the matter?" Winther asked as they began walking through the hallway.

"We have observed new activity on the 'gate' that appeared last night. We don't know what's in it, but it's definitely not good."

They arrived at the metal doorway, guarded by two riflemen and an auto-turret.

One of them tapped on a screenpad and the metal door hissed, opening with a loud metallic clang.

The air outside was a lot colder, and windier. The outer area of the outpost was enforced with Hesco barriers for watch towers and cover for infantry.

A Strv. 51/SK anti-aircraft vehicle was parked in the open, ready to eliminate any threats in the air.

Sentries patrolled around the grounds, looking for any attempts of breaching the walls.

They climbed up on one of the watchtowers, where two guards were taking watch. One of them turned around gave a quick salute. "Sir, we've spotted several heat signatures in the tunnel." He peeked through the infrared scope, several human figures were in it, some were riding horses. But what caught his attention was the humanoid figures, but in odd statures and shapes.

The playing of a horn came from the tunnel.

A dragon-like creature with a person riding on top of it came out.

"The hell is that?! A dragon?!" Winther exclaimed, Carstensen looked closer.

"Looks more like a wyvern sir." He informed him calmly, but inside, he was extremely shocked at the presence of a mythical creature.

"That looks too real, its movements are even realistic." One of the guard implied. He was right, the wings flap in a smooth and natural way, unlike automatons.

It flew up high, its rider observing the streets.

Several men in horses came out of the tunnel with a few footsoldiers holding several colored banners.

The leading horseman shouted a war cry, then a wave of soldiers came out of the tunnel.

A swordsman approached a pedestrian and struck him with his sword, the man fell down, blood coming out of his chest.

Winther took his radio and shouted to it "Alert to all units nearby, we are under attack. I repeat we're under attack!"

 **Älvsberg Fortress, Gothenberg, Sweden**

 _The Älvsberg fortress, now refurbished, was armed with heavy artillery guns, anti-air and anti-ship defenses. The 57th Defense Artillery Battalion, is garrisoned at the fortress._

The commander of the battalion and his adjutant was atop the watch tower, observing the sea.

"Sir, several unknown vessels spotted." informed his assistant.

He looked into his binoculars, about 8 boats and 1 destroyer were moving towards them. He zoomed closer, seeing the flag of the NUIA on the destroyer, an Apoliono II-class destroyer.

"Get back to your positions! NUIA sea assault!"

* * *

"Sir, permission to open fire on the hostiles?"

"Hold your fire, we must clear the path of civilians." He grabbed his radio again, "Any PUSG units nearby? Please respond."

"This is Gothenburg Patrol team-8, we are barricading ourselves with a few UIA soldiers. There are about 30 civilians with us. We'll need support."

"Copy, we'll try to send a squad towards your location."

Another person spoke from the radio, "This is the commander of the Elfsborg Fortress. We have spotted several NUIA assault crafts coming towards your location. Prepare a defensive perimeter."

"Negative commander, we are under attack as well."

"By who?" Norling asked.

"To be honest, we had no idea who are these invaders. But it seems we are attacked by soldiers dressed as Legionaries." As Winther expected, the commander's reaction was pure confusion.

"What?! Please repeat what you've just stated."

"We are under attack by hostile forces. We may not be able to provide enough support." The commander muttered something he cannot hear.

"Wait a minute, isn't there an Anthonius-class destroyer staying in the Gothenberg port?" asked Winther.

"Let me check... Correct, it's 10 kilometers away. But we'll still try and contact them." Norling said.

"Roger, try and hold out as much as you can."

"Likewise, Lieutenant."

He looked back at the streets. The police are now on the scene, confused as well, but still readied their handguns and carbines at the footsoldiers. Some police officers fired bursts of gunfire at the enemies, hitting 4 footsoldiers. The enemies were momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and started running towards them.

"Archers spotted, 50 meters, front." One of the guards said, pointing at the row of archers pulling their bows. The archers will pose a threat to the policemen, bystanders, and his men. They have to do something.

"All marksmen, engage those archers!" Winther ordered. The marksmen, armed with TSM-2 DMRs, aimed their rifles at the archers and started targeting them one by one.

Winther and Carstensen climbed down the watchtower and went towards the armory.

"Carstensen, assemble Squad-1 and 3. Meet me at the armory."

"Right away sir." Berhardt jogged to another direction where the barracks are.

The armory was a simple square-shaped building made of hard concrete, to protect ammunition and supplies from any serious damage.

He stepped in front of the metal door, he removed his one of his gloves and place a hand in the scanner pad attached in the doorway.

The scanner flashed a green light, then the door slid open. He entered the armory, the quartermaster and his assistant were inspecting a box of AKU-71 assault rifles.

"Good day Lieutenant, here for your gear?" the Quartermaster asked.

Winther nodded.

"Alright." The quartermaster walked to an armored door, he placed his hand on a scanner. Seconds later, the scanner made a beeping noise. Then the door was unlocked, the quartermaster walked in and turned the lights on.

The room was well lit, with several crates and ammo boxes. In the middle were several gun racks containing different types of firearms. Assault rifles, carbines, DMRs, light machine guns, sniper rifles, and handguns were stored in the racks. All personnel have their own personal cabinets, where they keep their combat gear.

On the left side of wall, were covered gun racks with names on them. One of the racks had the surname "Winther", which he approached it and opened the rack.

Inside it contained a Gv-70B assault rifle, one of the main assault rifles of the UIAF, a standard UIA tactical vest, and a UIA combat helmet.

He put on his tactical vest, strapped his combat helmet, and slung his rifle behind him.

The sound of the opening of a door made Winther turn around to see Berhardt and the members of FireTeam-1 and 3 enter the room.

"Men, prepare your gear." Winther ordered them.

The men immediately went to their respective cabinets and began equipping themselves.

Now that everyone's ready, they walk their way to the command post. A two-story building well-guarded by surveillance cameras, sentry patrols, and auto-turrets.

They enter the building, just as expected, everyone was busy coordinating defenses against the surprise attack.

They continue their walk until they arrive at a room with a whiteboard attached to the wall, a map on it. A commissioned officer and two combat officers were studying the map, they turned around and saw Winther and the two squads and step aside.

The CO placed his right hand on the map, "Here's the plan for your counterattack, we'll have to secure every district and wipe out any hostiles. You'll be accompanied by Squad-4 led by Sergeant Ardovini." The officer gesturing towards one of the combat officer. "And Squad-5, led by Sergeant Constanzo. You'll also be provided with armored support."

"Any questions?" All shook their heads. "Alright. You may head on your way."

They walked out of the command post, where Squad-5 is waiting beside an ISS-2/78.

"Ready?" asked Winther.

All members of Squad-5 nodded. "Then let's move."

They head towards the exit, a large, tall, metal gate made to resist heavy armor-piercing projectiles and siege artillery.

A guard stationed at the gate control shed saw the men coming towards the gate, he contact the leader, Lieutenant Winther. "This is GateKeeper-1, be advised the hostiles are still at large outside."

"Acknowledged GateKeeper-1. Armored support will give us firing cover. You're authorized to open the gate."

Complying with the lieutenant's command, he pressed a button, opening the gate.

The ISS-2/78 heavy tank moved first, to give the men cover.

"Adamsen, switch to High-Explosive." Eriksson, commander of the tank said.

The policemen were still holding the defense point against the invaders. Despite that, they still have casualties.

The police officers were relieved when they saw a friendly tank coming to assist them, along with 4 squads of soldiers.

"HE shell loaded!" He loaded the shell into the breech.

"Hostiles, 50 meters ahead!" shouted the commander. The gunner peeked through his rangefinder, trying to adjust the right range.

"Ready to fire." the gunner said.

"Fire!"

The tank's 200mm main gun made a loud boom. The HE shell hit the legionaries, decimating them and knocking out anyone nearby.

The archers attempted to damage the tank, but to no avail due to the thick armor.

"Archers, HE, 70 meters!"

The turret rotate towards the direction of the archers. Some of them were frozen in fear while the others panicked and started scurrying away.

"Fire!" shouted the commander.

It fired another shell, hitting the archers who didn't escape out of the projectile's range.

Squad-1 and 3 began firing on the remaining enemies. Taking down several footsoldiers of the _auxilia_ units.

Squad-4 and 5 head their way towards the buildings, intending to secure them of hostiles threats. They come across several legionaries, who were trying to break though an apartment.

"Auto-riflemen, engage those hostiles, carefully." Sergeant Ardovini point towards them.

They set down their light machine guns carefully, to not alert the busy foot soldiers. Gripping their lmgs, they looked through their sights. They pressed the trigger.

In just seconds, the legionaries were wiped out by machinegun fire, the 10mm bullets easily pierced their armor.

Ardovini and another rifleman moved ahead and scanned the area, all clear. He raised his left hand, signalling to move forward.

"What now sir?" Corporal Carstensen asked Winther.

"Right now, we'll divide ourselves into fire teams, and clear each building." The squads are now divided into several fireteams, Fireream-1A led by Lieutenant Winther, Fireteam-1B led by Corporal Carstensen, Fireteam-3A led by Sergeant Landvik, 3-B led by Corporal Nass, 4-A led by Sergeant Ardovini, 4-B led by Sergeant Durante, 5-A led by Sergeant Constanzo, and 5-B led by Corporal Faraldo.

Lieutenant Winther's fireteam and Fireteam 3-B moved towards a small apartment complex. Winther raised his hand again, this time signalling them to stop. Winther moved slowly towards the door, hearing voices inside the lobby. He peeked carefully into the disorganized lobby.

He raised his rifle and looked around "Looks clear, let's move in." They entered the lobby area of the apartment. A complete mess, containers are looted, paintings are teared and some apparently missing, probably stolen.

A loud bang followed by a grunt of pain came from a doorway behind the reception desk.

"Nykvist, Olhouser, follow me. Fireteam-3B, cover us." Winther said, moving slowly to the desk. Small drips of blood were on the floor behind the desk, leading to the doorway.

"Activate your infrared imager." Winther said. They switched their sights to infrared imager optics, optic scopes specifically used to sense heat.

They detected 4 heat signatures behind the wall.

"Alright, in the count of 3, we'll take out those hostiles." They readied their guns, aiming at the 3 targets.

"3, 2, 1."

 **Älvsberg Fortress, Gothenberg**

The assault crafts were nearing the city, the commander had to do something. Before they could land for an invasion.

The Anti-ship missile weren't ready yet due to maintenance. With the torpedoes and the long-range artillery platforms left. "All men, return to their positions."

"Artillerymen, focus fire on the assault crafts. SPGs aim for the destroyer." The artillery operators went to their artillery guns, 150mm heavy field guns reused as anti-naval cannons.

The crewmen of the SPGs climbed into their vehicles.

"Destroyer, LRHE, 90 meters." The commander said while the gunner open the laser rangefinder and peeked through it.

"90 meters, ready." said the gunner after adjusting the range.

"Long-Range HE loaded."

"Aim...Fire away!" shouted the commander.

All the SPGs fire at the same times. Some of them missing while the others managed to hit the hull and front deck.

The destroyer's auto-cannon aimed at the fortress, firing several rounds at it.

"Incoming projectiles! 50 meters above!" Commander Norling said, looking at the destroyer's damaged areas.

The C-RAM turrets of the fort detected the projectiles, launching their countermeasure rounds intercepting the projectiles.

"Projectiles eliminated." radioed the turret operators.

The 150mm artillery guns managed to hit a few assault craft, sinking them, but most of their shots missed.

"Shell!" shouted the ammo bearer as he passed on the shell to the loader.

"Fire!"

The ammo bearer grab another shell from the box, he reached it to the loader, but wasn't received by him. He looked up to see the loader distracted, looking at something. Not only the loader, the gunner and commander as well.

A wyvern hovered up high in the sky, it flew towards the beach, where some of the assault crafts are nearby.

The NUIA assault crafts were ready to land at the beach, they were about to open their hatch when a wyvern swoop by them, trying to attack.

"The hell?!" One of the gunners of the boat exclaimed, firing at it in self-defense.

Several UIA soldiers and PUSG militiamen noticed the assault crafts and opened fire on them. The heavy gunfire prevented the men from going out of their cover.

One of the commanders heard a loud engine sound, a Strv. 51/B came out of an alley. "All units, retreat! Retreat!" The Stridsvagn aimed its main gun towards them and fired a round, hitting a landing craft, it blew up and flames burst out of it.

The assault landing crafts withdrew their ramps and reverse out of the beach line.

"Sir, looks like the NUIA assault crafts are pulling back from the beach. The destroyer's not though." The adjutant looked through his binoculars again. "Sir, it looks like backup has arrived."

The Anthonius-class destroyer came out of the port. It raised its armaments, 100mm cannons and 30mm auto-cannons.

The destroyer fired all cannons at the enemy vessel, heavily damaging the hull, the hull and its armaments. The NUIA destroyer fired back, exchanging shots with each other.

In less than 5 minutes, the

"Good. Alert Lieutenant Winther that the amphibious invasion has been repulsed." The adjutant nodded and head off to the communications post.

* * *

"Hold the line men! Hold the line!" shouted a PUSG commander. His team, a squad of UIA soldiers, and some policemen and civilians have been barricading themselves in the police precinct.

"Hostiles, 25 meters ahead." said an assistant gunner looking through his scope, giving another target for the machine gunner.

"Ammo bearer, fetch us another box of 7mm rounds." the ammo bearer quickly ran to the armory.

"Don't worry men, reinforcements are arriving in approximately 2 minutes." reassured the commander.

"Grenadier, engage those archers!" A grenadier switched to his grenade launcher and launched one, hitting 4 archers, while the 2 remaining archers retreat to another position.

"Shield formation spotted, 20 meters ahead." the commander shouted as he fired burst of shots to the shieldsmen with his battle rifle, slightly breaking the formation. 2 archers went up to a higher area and released several arrows into the barricaded windows. Most of them hit the barricades, but one got through, hitting a civilian in the shoulder. "Agh!"

"Medic!" a rifleman shouted. A medic quickly came to them and kneel down. An arrow landed beside them, forcing them to move to a safer place. "Let's bring him to the clinic."

"This is Gothenburg patrol team-8, where is our backup? Please respond."

"Patrol team-8, armored support is inbound towards your location in about 20 seconds."

"Roger. Reinforcements are arriving in 20 seconds men."

He continued firing his rifle, until his mag ran out of ammo. "Reloading." He pulled out the empty magazine and placed in a new one.

A group of Roman soldiers moving a small wooden device. The commander spotted it and knew what it was, a torsion siege engine.

"Siege artillery!" He said while aiming his rifle at it. He shot a round, hitting the wooden frame. Which startled the soldier that was about to load a projectile. He fired again, this time it broke the whole fram of the siege engine. He fired more shots, killing the operators of the artillery.

A loud rumbling came from the streets. He looked further and saw what he think is their hope, a Strv. 51/B followed by a SCA-68 light tank were driving towards them.

Some of the foot soldiers turned around to see the source of the noise, a light tank with its machine guns and main gun aimed at them, only to be engulfed by the HE shell of the light tank.

"Backup is here!" cheered one of the rifleman.

Infantry supported by armored vehicles swept out any remaining survivors. A squadron of UIA Su-30s and a flight of attack helicopters flew high above the precinct.

"This is Defense Squadron-2, we have sight on the wyverns. Engaging." The jet fighters fired their rotary cannons. Killing the wyverns and their riders with ease.

Back at the police precinct, an AdA-3 light armored car and two military ambulances stopped in front of it. A fireteam of soldiers stepped out of the car and walked towards the PUSG commander.

"Captain Vollan of patrol team-8?" the commander nodded, "Correct, you must be Lieutenant Winther."

"Yes. Command wants to confirm your status. Any injuries?"

"We have fifteen injured, and six are in need of critical treatment."

"Looks like we'll need to evacuate your injured men." He waved to the medics at the ambulance. The medics went to the rear of the ambulance and pulled out a stretcher. They transported the injured one at a time while the uninjured men helped them carry the others.

 **UIA Defense Command post, Gothenburg, Sweden**

"Sir, we've just got news that, both the NUIA and the unidentified invasion, has been pushed back. And are now in full retreat."

"Good, we'll need to inform this to the Supreme Commander and the Council. We should hear as to what they want to do with this issue."

"Yes sir."

* * *

 **I've been thinking guys, and I want to know your thoughts. Should I include the modern-day JSDF? But that's pretty ridiculous, since it would be a suicidal war with the Empire fighting three fronts at the same time. Please give your opinion, thank you.**

* * *

 **Information:**

 **[1] The Strv. 51/SK is one of the main AA vehicle of the UIA. Commissioned into service in 2060, it is a modified turret fitted into the Strv. 51/B chassis, with a different side armor. The Strv. 51/SK was among the first military vehicles to use a special type of water fuel, the first being the KriegPanther II.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Stridsvagn 51/SK**

 **Type:SPAAG**

 **Country of Origin: Sweden**

 **Manufacturers: BulletStorm Weapons Corporation and Bofors AB  
Users: UIA, Sweden, NUIA, Norway, Estonia, and Greece  
Main Armament: 2x 70mm autocannon  
Secondary Armaments: 4x Jägare 1x6 Heat-seeking missiles  
1x coaxial 50. caliber HMG turret  
Crew: 4 (Driver, Mg gunner, gunner, and commander)**

 **[2] The TSM-2 is an Italian designated marksman rifle.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: TSM-2**

 **Type: DMR**

 **Manufacturer: Beretta**

 **Cartridge: 12mm**

 **Feed system: 20-rounds box magazine**

 **Users: Italy, and UIA**

 **[3] The Apoliono II-class destroyer is a Greek destroyer named after General Apoliono Anastas II.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Apoliono Anastas II-class destroyer (shortened as Apoliono II)**

 **Type: Destroyer**

 **Country of Origin: Greece**

 **Manufacturer: Hellenic National Shipyards**

 **Users: Greece, UIA, and NUIA**

 **Armaments: 2x 30mm autocannon**

 **20x missile launch pods**

 **4x torpedo pods**

 **6x 50. cal turrets**

 **4x _Hoplon_ CIWS**

 **Speed: 80 km/h (43 knots)**

 **[4] The Anthonius-class destroyer is a Swedish destroyer, named after UIA Supreme leader Anthonius** **Stålhammar.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Anthonius-class destroyer**

 **Type: Destroyer**

 **Country of Origin: Sweden**

 **Manufacturer: Karlsson Shipbuilding Company**

 **Users: Sweden, Iceland, Finland, and Denmark**

 **Armaments: 4x 30mm autocannons**

 **16x anti-ship missile pods**

 **4x anti-air missile pods**

 **4x 100mm cannons**

 **8x 12mm HMG turrets**

 **4x S48 CIWS**

 **Speed: 74 km/h (39 knots)**

 **[5] The ISS-2/78 is a heavy tank of the UIA intended for infantry-support roles. It was the successor of the ISS-2/66. It has an improved engine, better armor, and an upgunned main gun.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name:** **Infanteri-Stöd Stridsvagn-2/78**

 **Type: Heavy tank**

 **Country of Origin: Sweden**

 **Manufacturers: Bofors AB and BulletStorm Corp**

 **Users: UIA, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark  
Main Armament: 200mm Smoothbore gun  
Secondary Armaments: 1x Carl Gustav 50. cal HMG turret  
1x coaxial 7.62mm LIMG **

**Speed: 71 km/h  
Fuel Capacity: 1500  
Operational Range: 650 km  
Crew: 5 (Driver, Gunner, Coaxial gunner, Commander, Loader)**

 **[6] The AKU-71 is a Ukrainian-variant of the Russian Ak-71 assault rifle.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name:** _ **Avtomat Kalashnikov Ukrainets-2071**_

 **Type: Assault Rifle**

 **Country of Origin: Ukraine-Russia**

 **Manufacturer:** **Ukrayinsʹkyy Ozbroyenyy Zavod**

 **Cartridge: 12mm**

 **Feed system: 60-round box magazine**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, Semi-Automatic, 3-round burst**

 **Users: Ukraine, UIA, NUIA, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Serbia**

 **[7] Gv. 70B is one of the main assault rifles of the UIA.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: G** **evär-70B**

 **Type: Assault rifle**

 **Country of Origin: Sweden**

 **Manufacturer: Carl Gustaf**

 **Cartridge: 7mm**

 **Feed system: 50-rounds box magazine**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, Semi-Auto**

 **Users: UIA, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland**

 **[8] Strv. 51/B is the second version of the Strv. 51 series. It is upgraded with side-skirts and active defense systems for protection against AT projectiles. The 152mm-variant Strv.51/B used by the 14** **th** **Crusader Corps was very successful during the Gulf Campaign and "Operation ShekelGrabber".**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Stridsvagn 2/51B**

 **Type: MBT**

 **Country of Origins: Sweden**

 **Manufacturers: Bofors AB, BulletStorm Corp and United Nordic Armaments Corp  
Users: Sweden, UIA  
Main Armament: 1x 128/152mm Smoothbore gun  
Secondary Armaments: 1x Carl Gustav 50. cal HMG turret  
1x coaxial 7.62mm HMG  
Speed: 76 km/h  
Fuel Capacity: 900 liters  
Operation Range: 540 km  
Crew: 4 (Driver, Gunner, Commander, Loader)**

 **[9] The PUSG (People's United Security Group) is the UIA's paramilitary group that acts as the security personnel in towns, provinces, and cities. They would assist the local police in law enforcement, riot-control, and raids against potential rebels and criminal groups. The PUSG was the Italian Difesa Civile Italiana Esercito, Greek** **Tin Astikí Asfáleia(TAA), and Swedish section of the** **Nordiska Säkerhets Gruppen(NSG). An idea which inspired me to create the PUSG is the NSDAP Sturm Abteilung. A patrol team consists of 6 men, a commander, four riflemen, one autorifleman. A raiding party consists of 8 men, the commander, four riflemen, two grenadiers, and one marksman. And the largest of them all, a combat group consists of 12 men, the commander, three rifleman, three grenadiers, one sharpshooter, one marksman, one autorifleman, and an assistant autorifleman.**

 **[10] The _Auto di Assaulto-3 (AdA-3),_ nicknamed "Ada armored car" by UIA infantrymen, is the third version of the AdA series light armored car used as a fast attack vehicle and reconaissance vehicle for the Italian army and the UIAF.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: _Auto Di Assaulto-3_**

 **Type: Armored car**

 **Country of Origin: Italy**

 **Manufacturers: Fiat**

 **Users: Italy, UIA, and Greece**

 **Main Armament: 1x 30mm autocannon(attack variant)**

 **12mm Breda HMG (scout & tranport variant)**

 **1x ATGM launcher pod (attack variant)**

 **Secondary Armament: 1x coaxial 7mm Breda HMG (attack & transport variant)**

 **Speed: 92 km/h**

 **Fuel capacity: 1300 liters**

 **Crew: driver, and gunner**

 **Passenger capacity: 4 (transport), 2 (attack & scout variant)**

 **[11] Other than self-produced and captured equipment, the UIA has been using equipment that is considered old and obsolete since the standards of 2060s. Outdated infantry weapons include Ak-12, Ak-74, AR-15 and Scar-H. MBTs include Leopard 1 & 2, M1A2 Abrams, T-90s, and T-14s. And aircraft like Su-30, F2000 Mirage, F-16, Mil-24 Hind, AH64 Apache, and Ka-52 attack helicopters were widely used during the First African Campaign. Despite being outdated, they heavily modified these to counter the newer enemy armored vehicles, and still used them with great efficiency.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Guest: Er... I agree with you but, the CoN is neither the UN nor the EU. They didn't even accept any refugees. Ironically, the UIA and CoN used to be 'allies', and were going to be full-time allies if the Third Great War didn't start. I think you confused it with the EU.**

 **Please note that I'll add a few characters and settings that will be different from both the original anime and manga.**

"34 years ago, when I was still your commander, our size were only a small detachment of men. After those years, we are now as big as a whole legion!" He spoke to the long lines of formation of men, the most loyal soldiers of the Coalition.

"Apart from our great achievement in size, I have to deliver unpleasant news. 4 hours ago, Ginza, Tokyo, is attacked by an unknown force. An army that did not discriminate in their slaughter, men and women, young and elderly, civilians and tourists." His voice echoed thoughout the hall.

"But because of the actions of brave men, Tokyo is saved. Many died in the event, while many survived as well, let us not make their sacrifices in vain. It is your new mission, to strike these barbarians back to their lands!" The men cheered on, and gave the half-Roman salute as a form of agreement.

The Supreme Commander came down the podium, the commander of the ShockTroopers, the Supreme general spoke next, "You may now go back to your quarters. Dismiss." Then went down too.

One of the loud speakers hanging below the podium spoke, "May I call in, FireTeam B of the 122nd Meiji Battalion, led by Corporal Hayabusa. 2nd Battotai Squad, led by Sergeant Masuda. And Fireteam D of the 23rd _Preussen_ Company, headed by Corporal Scholz."

The fireteams first entered a doorway before walking up the staircase leading to the podium, to meet the Supreme Commander.

The men lined up and gave a salute to him, and he returned the salute.

"Gentlemen, you have done an excellent job in thwarting the invasion. And due to your capabilities, we decided to give you a very special mission, you'll be along with a group of recon teams. You are to scout what is beyond that dark gate. It is unknown what it has there, it may be very risky. But it'll ensure the safety of your fellow soldiers, soldiers who don't have the great 'gifts' you possess."

"You have 3 hours to prepare for your mission, after that, head to the Coalition HQ in Tokyo, and meet with the recon teams. Safe trip men."

* * *

 **CoN Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan**

 **February 14, 2085**

Two SAT-72s flew toward the airfield, and landed on a vacant helipad. Out came the members of 5th Infantry Squad of the 122nd Meiji Battalion and 2nd Battotai Squad.

An Inquisitor stood in front of them, "You guys must be 5th infantry Squad of 122nd Meiji Battalion, and 2nd Battotai Squad, follow me. Fireteam D is already at the briefing room."

They followed him to a discreet area of the HQ, using a backdoor, and walked through a quiet, eerie hallway.

"This hallway hasn't been used much, this was built as an emergency exit route. Just in case there were situations needing it." The Inquisitor said, trying to break the silence.

"Who else knows this area?" asked Masuda.

"Just us Inquisitors and the Chief Enforcers. Regular employees have little knowledge about what's in here. Unless needed, it's best if we keep them out."

They stopped their pace, a metal door stood in the end of the hallway. He pulled out a small misplaced concrete block, revealing a handprint scanner in it. He placed his hand for 2 seconds then pulled it out. The scanner automatically withdrew back to its place.

The door opened, leading to a stairway downstairs.

"This way will lead us to your briefing room."

The Briefing room was the typical type of it, columns of chairs and a board hanging in the wall. Fireteam D and the recon team were already there, sitting on the chairs. They looked behind and one of them stood up, he reached his right hand towards Sergeant Masuda.

"Segeant Bleier, Recon Team-4 _._ Nice to meet you." Masuda immediately knew the skull engraved on the sergeant's helmet. The symbol of the infamous _Totenfaust_ Regiment, one of the best men of the Shocktroopers.

"Sergeant Masuda, 2nd Battotai Battalion. It's nice to meet you too." The rest of the squadmembers introduced themselves to each other, then they proceed to the briefing of the mission.

"Here's our mission, we're going to cross the gate. We are to survey the lands and know what's in there. After a week, the main forces will arrive. And we're gonna support their attack. Any questions? Suggestions?" Nobody answered.

"Alright, let's move on."

They rode in trucks on the way to the Gate, trucks disguised as cargo trucks for transporting goods. A large metal dome stood in what used to be where the gate was, in order to secure and cover it.

They entered the dome through a hidden door, to prevent anyone from noticing them. A large metal gate secured the entrance. 2 autoturrets were guarding it, turrets armed with 20mm autocannons and equipped with thermal and infrared imaging.

"Recon team-3, follow me. The rest, stay in your vehicles." Recon team-3 got out of their truck and went towards the gate. He gave a wave, signalling for the gatekeeper to open it.

They went in, with the trucks following behind them. The whole tunnel was incredibly dark, even with their flashlights, the walls were still pitch black.

 _How long is this tunnel?_ Masuda thought as they keep walking until they could find the exit of the tunnel.

And there it was what everyone wanted, an exit. From far away, it was night time already.

"20 meters to exit point." Bleier said in his radio.

They kept walking until Sergeant Bleier spoke again, "Halt, two targets detected ahead, 9 meters."

Two shadows were visible in the ground, lit by the torchs hanging at both sides.

"We'll need to eliminate those guards. Hoch, go the left side, while I'll go the right side. "

Now in position, they pulled out their guns and ready to fire.

"Take them out." they rushed at the two guards and knocked them out from behind. They peered out, looking for any more night guards.

"Area clear, keep moving." He spotted a hill which the gate is in, a place that could overlook a wide view of the lands.

"We could use that hill as a vantage point, and set up camp." Recon team-3 went up first to secure the crest.

"Crest is secured, move everything up here."

The trucks climbed up the hill, decelerating in order to reduce the engine noise.

The men unload the truck containing the camp and observation equipment, and set them in a suitable spot, right under a tree for shade and cover.

"Next, provide a defensive perimeter and began observation of any enemy establishments." They deployed motion detectors, auto-targeting turrets, and surveillance cameras for security.

A scout went to Bleier, "We have spotted an enemy camp, 40 kilometers away from our location."

"Let me see."

He looked through the scope, a large camp with large numbers of men. "Looks like the size of about...a brigade. We'll have to alert Command. Fichter, is the radio working?"

"Negative sir, communications not working." said the radioman.

"Alright, we will just contact with the good ol' manual messenger."

"Tomorrow, we'll try and scout the lands, see any settlements that'll be vital for us." Before he went to his tent, he spoke again "We'll switch shifts in sleep and watch duty for 4 hours each."

 **7 hours later**

"Hey psst, wake up." a voice called me. A strong pat on my shoulder woke me up.

"Cooper wake up, Bleier wants us to be part of his scout team." Waldron whispered.

I groaned and yawned as I stood up from my bed, "Who's with us?"

"Me, you, Voronin, and Bleier."

I put on my vest, helmet, and my weapon as we walked out the tent. The sun's already up, and almost everybody's awake.

Sergeant Bleier was with Corporal Voronin, standing under a tree waiting for us.

"There you are, let's begin." said Bleier.

"Sir, how are we going to conduct recon. By foot?" I asked.

"No, follow me." We walked down the hill, towards a big pile of leaves and clusters of bushes. "Voronin, please assist me." They moved aside the bushes and it revealed an AuFz. II armored scout car.

"The drones will arrive tomorrow, so Command gave us a scout car first." We got in the vehicle, it was not cramped nor was it spacious, just the right comfortability.

"We'll head east first." Bleier turned on the engines, and stepped on the gas. They drove into another route, to avoid the enemy camp.

"If we are able to encounter a village or any civilians, what should we do?"

"If they see us, we should try and interact with them. We could get some information about the land, and perhaps a map." Bleier said.

The rest of the trip was a whole quiet one, until they stopped at a road made of gravel.

"Looks like this could lead us to a settlement. Now which way should we go." He looked left and right, then steered to the latter.

It took a half hour for them to spot a village. Villagers were working, and children were playing.

"Voronin, Waldron, stay here. Cooper, come with me." They exited the vehicle and slowly approached the village.

"We're gonna observe first, if the villagers spot us, we'll have to declare ourselves not hostile"

The children and some farmers were the first to notice the two men. What seemed to be the parents of the children called them to their houses, to which the children complied, running back to their homes.

The farmers stopped their work and stared at the duo, three of them were still holding their tools anxiously. A man whispered to another farmer, a woman. Then she ran away back to the village.

"Looks like they spotted us, stand up." They stood up from the grass, and walked towards the farmers.

The farmers now were talking with a tall man with a short sword strapped to his back.

"Looks like the leader of this village." said Bleier.

The leader looked at them and spoke to them in a foreign language.

"Sounds like...Latin." Cooper whispered.

"Do you know any Latin words or phrases?" asked Bleier. Cooper shook his head, "Nope."

"Me neither." Bleier said. They knew more than just English, but Latin is not one of them.

Cooper came up with a suggestion "Let's try English." Bleier nodded.

"Don't fear, we have no bad intentions towards you and your village." The villagers whispered to each other. "Sounds like Anglo-Saxon."

"Ah, I see you talk English. Good thing we know the language. So what are your intentions here, if you have any?"

"We need more information around this place, and a map of the whole region if you have any."

"Florus, please get us a map." he said to one of the farmers.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Priscus, the chief of my village. Come, let's take a seat in my house and I could give some knowledge about this place."

Priscus' house was just like every house in the village, a cottage made of stone, with a thatched roof and chimney. The living room contained a stone oven, a small wooden table, and 4 wooden chairs in the left corner. They sat in the chairs, "Both of you are soldiers, right? What army to you belong to?" he asked.

They were, of course, hesitant to reveal who they were, "...We're part of a scouting group, and as we've stated earlier, we are in need of info about this continent." Cooper was the first to speak, dodging the chieftain's second question.

"Okay. I actually thought you two were mercenaries."

The man named Florus came back with a map. "Here it is sir." He said, handing the map to him.

"Thank you Florus." He glanced at the two men, "You two, would you like some drinks? Ale or Mead?"

Bleier waved his hand, "Pardon, but we're not allowed to drink on duty."

He nodded then placed the map on the table and placed his finger at the mass of land on it, "This whole continent we live in, is Falmart. "

He pointed at the center of the region, "Here lays Sadera, the capital of the Saderan Empire. Southwest of Sadera is Alnus hill, and two vassals of the Empire, Elbe and Alguna We heard that the Empire has discovered two gates at the same time, one at Alnus hill, and another near the Romalia mountains, where they sent two expeditionary armies into. Don't know what happened to the army that went through the Alnus gate. But we heard that the expedition at the mountains gate were heavily defeated. Some survivors and wounded of the army passed by this village just this early morning, surprised they made it this far."

"Are there any more regions further from Falmart?" asked Cooper.

"So far, none. There were expeditions sent by the Empire, but there were no news of them returning yet."

A woman came to Priscus' side and placed a glass on the table. She held a pitcher and poured unto it "Thank you dear." He gave a smile to the lady.

"Want some mead?" Both declined, he then sipped from the cup before putting it down. "Anyway, here's the map. You can have it."

"For free? You sure? You guys still have some extra maps, don't you?" asked Cooper. Priscus nodded and smiled, "We have plenty of maps here."

Bleier took it and insert it into his bag. "Thank you sir."

They bid farewell to Priscus and the villagers, and went back to their vehicle.

"Got anything?" asked Waldron. Cooper nodded, "Yep, we managed to get some info, and a map."

"Now let's head back to our camp. Corporal Scholz notified us that another recon team will arrive in 30 minutes."

* * *

 **Observation Camp-1**

"Sergeant Masuda." Corporal Tanaka said, his head peeking out of the doorway.

"Yes?" Masuda asked. "The recon team is arriving in approximately 1 minute."

"Alright. We'll have to secure their arrival and prevent any detection by enemy forces."

Masuda went out of the tent, followed by Tanaka. Sergeant Masuda went down the hill while Tanaka and his team stayed at the hill to give support if needed. Two marksmen were hiding in a hidden foxhole disguised as a bush, giving cover for Fireteam-B.

"This is 5th Recon Squad of the JSFG, we're moving out of the gate."

"Roger, ready to intercept." said Tanaka, "Establish a perimeter. Look out for any hostiles."

A scout rover came out of the tunnel, followed by a truck.

"Follow us." said Tanaka in his radio.

"Patrol spotted, 100 meters, north." one of the marksmen said.

"Double time Tanaka, a night patrol's coming to your location."

"Thanks for the heads up, we're returning back to camp."

* * *

The recon vehicle parked back to its hiding spot, the team exited the vehicle and head back up to the camp.

He noticed two vehicles parked in an entrenched position that didn't belong to them. "It appears the JSFG teams are here. Move up."

They went up just in time to see Japanese recon operatives unloading crates out of the truck.

"Welcome back Sergeant Bleier. The JSFG operatives arrived just 50 minutes ago, with some explosive firepower."

An operative opened one of the crates with a set of mortar. He looked at them and said, "105mm mortars. The commander wants us to bring these in early." He put the cover back and lifted it to the truck.

* * *

 **Gothenburg, Sweden**

A man sat in the room, wearing prison garbs and handcuffed. On the other side of the room, he was being watched by men. Two officers came in the room, behind them, the Supreme Leader himself.

The Officer with a field cap stepped forward and leaned towards the speaker. _"Statum quaso nomen tuum."_

" _Meum nomen est...Atilius."_

" _Quae tibi lingua loqui, aliter quam Latine?"_ the officer asked.

"... _Anglica, ut 'omnis._ "

"He speaks English." the officer said.

"Can you try and speak in English?"

"Yes but sorry, I do not have best in English. But I will try."

"Alright, we'll ask you a few questions." The man nodded in response.

"Okay." The officer flipped through a few papers and placed them down.

"What are your intentions here?"

"My mission?"

"Yes." the officer replied.

He crossed his arms and leaned back "You think I'll just simply say it? Convince me."

"You give us information, we'll free you in return. And if you don't comply, we'll return you back to your cell."

After 10 minutes, he finally spoke, "Okay okay, I will speak."

"Now back to our first question, what are your intentions here?"

"...When we set camp at the 'Gate', I was given mission to scout beyond Gate."

"Until we caught you?" he nodded. "How long have you been conducting your mission here?"

"About...1 and a half week."

"Okay..." The sound of flipping papers was heard from the speaker. "We got reports of several cases of missing persons. Does this have any connection with you?"

"Im not involved, but I do heard that a few _civitas_ of yours were captured and returned back to the Gate, before the Armies' retreat."

"This empire you belong to, what is it called?"

"The Saderan Empire, the dominant empire in our region."

"Are there any other empires or kingdoms that resides in your region? And what do you call this region you live in?"

"We live in the continent of Falmart. The Saderan empire is the only empire in the continent, with several vassal states under it."

"Did the Empire sent any more scouts other than you?"

"I do not know, maybe most of them already returned to camp."

"And what is this camp." The man's eyes widened, regretting that he spoke too much. "If you promise to grant me freedom, I'll tell you. Okay?"

"We promise, includes proper housing, and a year supply of food. If you gave us information, the more, the better."

The officer spoke again, "Our scouts managed to draw a proper map of the nearby areas surrounded by a forest and mountain range. Give us the location of the camp."

A small port opened from the left side of the wall, a screenpad and a pen slid through. His immediate reaction was to take it. He looked at the mysterious gadget, revealing a copy of the Romalia mountains and the forest.

"An exact drawing of the Romalia mountains..." he whispered. He touched the screen out of curiosity, wondering what type of map is this. _This map's_ _not made of paper, looks metallic._ He glanced at the pen, it was unlike the reed pen they had back at Falmart. It's white and does not a sharp tip.

"Just simply use it and carefully touch the screen. Now draw the location of the camp." the officer instructed.

He complied, he used the 'pen' and gently tapped at the screen. A small dot appeared on the corner of the screen where he tapped.

"Draw a circle around the camp."

He drew a wide circle at the center of the forest. The screen pad's data synced with the computer in the observation room, the operator turned around and looked at the officer, "Location acquired sir."

"Good, this guy's a lot easier to persuade than I thought. But we'll have to get confirmations from the recon team to see whether his information is right or not." He faced the Supreme Leader. "My leader, shall we grant our deal with the suspect?"

"Not yet, we'll need to extract more information from him. Meanwhile, we'll need to start preparing the mobilization of the expedition force."

* * *

 **The speech at the beginning, was a modified script of Supreme Commander Goettner's speech. I have to change a few parts to fit in, and the original was a lot longer.**

 **NOTE that all non-fiction companies and corporations belong to their respective owners. I do not own them.**

 **Information:**

 **The AuFz. II scout vehicle is a light scout car primarily used by the German Armed Forces, Austrian Army, and the CoN. And of course, a predecessor to the AuFz. I scout vehicle.**

 **Name: Aüfklarer Fahrzeug II**

 **Type: Recon vehicle**

 **Country of origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturers: Porsche and Rheinmetall**

 **Users: Germany, Austria, CoN, Spain, and Finland**

 **Main Armament: 12mm Mg75 HMG turret**

 **Speed: 96 km/h**

 **Fuel Capacity: 1000 liters**

 **Operational range: 800 km**

 **Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, and Commander)**

 **Passenger capacity: 2**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please correct my Latin on my previous chapter if it's correct or not. I'm not fluent on Latin.**

* * *

 _Breaking News!_

 _February 13, 2085. Tokyo, Japan was attacked by an unknown army of soldiers. The attack took place in the Ginza district. It's confirmed that there are 68 dead, and 91 wounded. Not only that! Gothenburg, Sweden was under attack as well, by NUIA forces that attempted to launch an amphibious assault. International and local authorities will not be releasing any additional information until further notice._

* * *

 **February 21, 2085 AD**

 **Coalition Outpost-Ginza District, Tokyo, Japan**

A man entered the headquarters, accompanied by several guards. Everyone turned their attention towards him, immediately giving a salute, others bowed.

A man in military uniform approached him and greet him with a bow before speaking, "Good evening sir, I'm Captain Akamine, leader of the 4th QR-Battalion stationed here. Glad you've finally arrived sir. We've just got a sample of an armor of the enemy that you would definitely want to see."

"Good morning to you too. I _would_ like to see it."

They went into a room with a table in the middle, guarded by a military police officer.

He examined the armor, it looks exactly like the Roman legionary armor, specifically a _lorica hamata._

"They really looked like the Romans." He said, he tried lifting the mail armor. As expected, it was heavy.

He looked through the other items, a _galea_ helmet, a short sword, a shattered shield, and a damaged composite bow.

"Interesting. These are some really fine relics you collected." He said as he held the luckily, undamaged _galea_ helmet.

"Now, I think it's time for me to meet the 3rd Advance Armored Infantry Battalion."

"Right away sir." the captain opened the door. "Lead the way captain."

Outside of the outpost, the men of the 6th Armored Battalion of the 7th Pacific defense army, redesignated into the 3rd Advanced Armored Infantry Battalion, were waiting in their parked APCs for the signal to mobilize. The battalion was composed of 9 IFVs, 12 APCs, and 8 trucks to carry light infantry and their supplies.

"The Supreme Commander is on his way here! Prepare your positions." the commander said in the radio. Both crewmen and infantrymen climbed out of their vehicles, and lined up in columns.

The Supreme Commander along with Captain Akamine walked out of the gate, still followed by several guards. He stopped and looked at all of them. "Good evening men. I came here to bid goodluck on your journey to the gate. You are going to commence an assault on an enemy camp that our scouts have located. You'll be support by SRAG and JSFG operatives on the assault." He gave a salute to them, and they returned it. "Thank you sir." the men said in unison.

Everyone went back to their respective vehicles, the engines started and began lining up at the dome.

"This is C-Com Japan, you are now authorized to enter the Gate." the Dome's gate opened wide for the battalion. Late-night commuters watched the gate opening, wondering what's happening. Seeing the line of military vehicles, they now know that the army's mobilizing through the gate.

The IFVs went in first one by one, then the APCs and heavy trucks.

"C-Com Japan, we are now in the gate, currently going through a tunnel." the battalion leader said.

"Ack...now...ledged...Lieu..tenant." The signal was getting weaker and weaker as they drove further into the tunnel.

"Entrance spotted, 100 meters ahead." said the lead IFV's driver.

"Any contacts at the entrance?" asked the commander. "Negative sir. No contacts spotted." After a few minutes, the commander became curious, and peeked out of the cupola. He took his carbine and activated the flashlight, even with the light of it, the walls were still dark.

"50 meters left to tunnel exit."

* * *

"Cooper, Waldron, come here. Please assist us." Bleier said, carrying a crate out of the truck, the same crates that contained the mortars. Cooper and Waldron carry the other remaining crates down the compartment. They opened them and put out the mortars.

"We're gonna use it now sir?" asked Cooper.

"Yes, the 3rd Advanced armored infantry battalion is arriving in 30 minutes."

Cooper looked briefly at his watch, **23:30.**

"Place them there." He said pointing at an entrenched sandbag position. Waldron set down the bipod, while Cooper placed the mortar in position. JSFG operatives were preparing mortars in another trench.

"Recon Team-4, this is 5th Infantry squad, we're ready to advance into the camp."

"Roger. FireTeam D will cover you."

The squad already surrounded the camp, ready to strike. "Fireteam B, watch for any hostiles. While we'll extract the target."

Sergeant Yoshida, led by Fireteam A, entered the camp. They slowly moved around the camp, waiting for patrols to switch shifts, until they finally arrived at the tent they're looking for.

"4 targets spotted inside, we just need to identify who's the commander." said Yoshida.

"Camp prefect, where are the reports from the night patrols?" the general asked.

"They haven't return yet sir, perhaps I'll se-" A bullet went through the prefect's head, fell dead along with his body guards.

"Wha-" He heard the entrance flap fluttering, he turned around to see two men, donned in black armor and leaves covering them.

One of them aimed a small black stick at him, a light * **thump*** came from it. He felt a light sting in his shoulder, seeing a small dart on it.

He instantly fell down. They tied him up, carried him outside, and exited the camp the way they did previously.

"We have the target, I repeat, we have the target."

"Hear you Yoshida, give the signal when you're out of the zone."

* * *

 **Imperial Camp Alnus**

I gripped my torch, blinked my eyes, and straightened up my posture. "How long are we going to stay like this?" asked a fellow soldier of mine, Plinius, a conscript who came from the rural villages outside of Sadera.

"Another 30 minutes." I said.

A Legionary approached us and ordered "The General has assigned you two for night patrol around the eastern parts of camp, your former duty will now be replaced by others. Move it now."

I nodded and we both walked our way to the Eastern section.

"When are we going to attack anyway? Heard the bodies of a patrol were found near the Gate. Do you think the enemies preparing to attack, if not now, maybe someday?"

"I feared that they'll do it soon, probably earlier than we might expect. I am as well, wondering why aren't we ordered to attack yet. But then again, we'll probably be slaughtered just like the 4th expeditionary legion."

"Yeah, you heard the stories from them? There were only a hundred survivors, and the legion originally has 5,000 men."

We heard a large 'boom', making us glance around. "What just happened?" A smoke was rising from the southern part of the camp. Soldiers and officers were coming out of their camps, confused on what the noise was.

The bells in the watchtowers were ringing, indicating an attack. The soldiers were struggling trying to wear their armor. The men that were already in armor lined up and began marching towards where I'm assuming, is the battle.

"Who are we against sir?" A recruit beside us asked. "Looks like magic, probably the rebels from Tuba again." A legionary officer said, "Hurry, we must put a defensi-" Another boom, this time hitting a tent behind the officer.

I covered my ears, they're in extreme pain. My vision was blurry for a second, then became clear again. I looked around, the officer's dead, several shards of metal pierced the back of his armor. I heard a scream, the recruit's ears were bleeding, and he was screaming in pain.

A cavalryman on his horse from the eastern section charged past me, instead of going to the other way. "Retreat! Retreat!" he shouted. Soldiers were coming back from the east, some were wounded and all bloodied.

"Plinius?" I glanced around, looking for him.

"Aldhard, over here!" I heard him shout my name. I looked around once more and finally saw him in an opening in the walls. "Over here!" He waved. I sprinted towards him after hearing another boom.

"Glad you're still alive, now let's get out of here." We went though an opening exit of the wall, along with a group of legionaries.

"We should use the path of the forest, we could reach the villages on the other side using that way." An officer said, he then turned and ran towards the forest.

"Come on let's go." I said, running along. Followed by Plinius and the other legionaries.

"What's that?!" Plinius pointed at the several lights on the hill. 5 giant gray blocks came out of the hill, the lights coming out of their sides.

"The hell are those?!" I quickly ran as I sensed that they're not friendly, the next thing confirmed it. On top of the block is a head with a long rod protruding out of it. The 'head' aimed it on a cavalry, spewing fire out of it. The cavalrymen were instantly obliterated.

"Keep running!" the officer shouted. I heard another 'boom' hit the ground. It was clear that they're targeting us.

We keep running and running, trying our best to dodge the projectiles.

An unfortunate legionary got hit by a projectile, I got a fast glance of the remains of a leg flying away. I wanted to vomit at the sight of that, but I resisted it. I must run as far as I can away from the camp.

* * *

 **Alnus Hill**

"Shells loaded!" shouted the loader. "Infantry formation ahead, 200 meters."the commander said, while looking through the periscope.

"Fire." said the commander, the gunner fired 3 rounds, landing on tents and a watchtower. The wooden tower easily collapsed, crushing foot soldiers that were unlucky to be under it.

"Hostile cavalry, 110 meters ahead. Archers, 170 meters." The IFV's turret aimed its gun on the cavalry, and fired at them.

"Alpha-1-4, requesting to disembark from vehicle." The squad leader asked. "Negative, Squad-4, archers spotted in the vicinity." Metal thumps can be heard outside of the vehicle, the archers were firing their arrows at them.

They waited until the noise stopped, "Squad-4, you are ready to disembark." The squad got out of the IFV to engage the hostiles that are trying to get close to the vehicle.

Mortar rounds rained down on the camp, destroying walls and tents, killing many soldiers inside and outside the camp.

With the intense pounding of mortar fire, the remaining footmen scattered around the plains and decided to retreat, both on foot and riding on carriages and horses.

"Alpha-1-2, Alpha-1-3, Alpha-1-4, Alpha-1-5, form a perimeter around the hill, while our engineers will establish a camp."

The 3rd truck in the column pulled up at the side, the engineers came down with their equipment. The notable equipment, a remote-controlled armored bulldozer, went down the ramp of the truck.

The commander of the engineer unit pulled out a blueprint, a sergeant next to him. "We need barriers around the perimeter. Establish 2 watchtowers at the Eastern part and 2 more at the West." The sergeant nodded and head to the other engineers.

The battalion commander climbed out of his vehicle, seeing the operatives up at the hill. He waved at them as he hopped down the command vehicle. "Major, come with me." They walked up the hill and met the SRAG operators.

"Thanks for your fire-support, I'm Lieutenant colonel Cunningham, and this is Major Ainsworth. 3rd Advance Armored Infantry Battalion. And you guys?"

"We're SRAG operators. I'm Sergeant Bleier of Recon Team-4, beside me is Corporal Bourne of Recon Team-3."

"C-Com wants us to extract information from your previous recon operations. Any new info about this place?" Cunningham asked. Bleier nodded, "Yes, we have obtained a map of the region here." He pulled out a map from his bag. He rolled it open and let them look at it.

"The region's called Falmart. We have labelled the correct areas for mountains and settlements that are located throughout the region. Here." He gave them the map to read, to check the radio operators that were setting up a communications tower.

"What's the current situation of the radio towers?" he asked the team leader. "We're still setting it up. Without any disturbance, we could finish it in less than 20 minutes." A truck drove up the hill, the distinction of it between the other trucks is its trailer box it carries. The truck's own 4 jack-pads locked down on the ground.

The hatch on top of the box opened, a radio tower rising out of it. A radio operator peeked out of the truck and looked at Bleier. "Sir, comm activation is at 70%, would you like to test it?"

"Sure." He stepped in the box, inside it were full of radio equipment. They stopped at a computer screen, and the operator sat down. A radio receiver stood beside the screen, he turned around and spoke "Sir, the radio's ready." He gave a nod and turned on the receiver. "Testing the radio, C-Com Japan, this is Raven-1. Please acknowledge."

Fortunately, the radio answered, "Raven-1, we hear you. Looks like the radio's working."

"Good thing. C-Com Japan, we've succeeded in supporting the battalion's assault. The enemy camp has been swept for any remaining survivors and has been secured."

"Good work Raven-1, an officer will arrive there at the base to secure the intel you and your team have gathered."

"Acknowledged. Raven-1, out." Someone was knocking the door, an operator stood up from his seat and opened it. Revealing a man in officer uniform. This must be him.

"Raven-1? I'm here to extract the intel." The officer said.

"You got it right. Alright, follow me." They stepped out of the communications vehicle and went to his camp. They entered the command tent, Bleier took a briefcase from one of the desks and handed it to the officer. "Here it is." He opened it to show the intact data files. "Thank you, now I must be on my way. The commander really needs this." The two exchanged salutes before the officer exited the tent.

* * *

 **Sorry, once again, for not updating for a long time. As usual, I've been very busy.**

 **Information:**

 **Coalition-Command of Japan (C-Com Japan) is the main chain of command of the Coalition forces in Japan. It commands the 7th Pacific defense army and 2nd Expeditionary Corps to Japan. They're responsible for assisting the JSDF in the defense of the country.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**During the 2020s, several European countries were plagued with corruption and lack of law enforcement, resulting into high occurences of crime and disorder. 2025, the United Nordic Defence Alliance was formed, from several dominant Scandinavian political parties in their specific countries. In order to reestablish order, the union of parties created their own paramilitary groups, the**_ ** _Nordiska Säkerhets Gruppen (NSG). Other European countries were having the same problems, with nationalistic parties gaining popularity as well._** _**The United Noridc Defense Union began having meetings and agreements with other similar foreign parties, including the Greek National People's Party, and the Italian Civil Social Party, finally forming the UIA in 2025. It formed it's own established Armed Forces in 2026 by drawing personnel from the countries' own armed forces, creating the United Independent Armed Forces(UIAF) and the PUSG, a united paramilitary wing composed from the Scandinavian NSG, Italian DCIE, Greek TAA and other paramilitary groups.**_

 _ **By the late 2030s, it drew popularity from African countries. It gained wide support from Ethiopia, Uganda, and Sudan after helping the nations in eliminating rebel factions that were stirring trouble in the regions. In order for the UIA to gain further influence from other nations, the UIA sent 4 regiments to Rwanda to assist its armed forces against the communist NWPF rebels in the Rwandan Rebellion Crisis. The involvement of UIA forces in Rwanda was considered as the first major operation conducted by the UIAF. The year of 2035 was considered as the (temporary) downfall of the Alliance, due to it losing support for its controversy of supporting rebels in Ukraine and Middle-East. The invasion of Zimbabwe further worsened the UIA's reputation. The Supreme Leader that time, Anthonius**_ _ **Stålhammar**_ _ **, was forced to resign. And the UIA in Sweden was momentarily disbanded. Consequently, corruption and disorder returned in Sweden after the PUSG and UIAF was forced to step down as well. The UIA was silent for 1 and a half decade, until the resurgence of the popularity of the UIA in Sweden and the exposed truth of the 2035 controvery, revealing that the UIA has no involvement in funding insurgents in East Europe and Middle-East Asia. The UIA began rebuilding all its influence and territory.**_

 _ **The 2050s was known as the decade where the UIA quickly rose in power, both economic and military. It continued in 2060 while other nations like USA, UK, Germany, and France were having conflicts against Russia and China. The UIA's continuation of expanding of its territory caught the attention of the UN countries, which considered the UIA as a threat. The UIA was silent once again, until 2068, where the UIAF launched a surprise attack on the borders of France. Swiftly capturing cities including Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Dijon, and Clemont-Ferrand. After occupying Dijon, they pushed for France's capital, Paris. UK and Germany sent reinforcements to support the French armed forces in their counterattack in Paris. On July 20, 2069, the French, combined with several foreign allied armies, recaptured Paris. Forcing the UIA Command to retreat its forces from Paris. The invasion of France and retreat from Paris eventually led to the start of the 19-year War.**_

* * *

 _Raise up your banners, and march for the Alliance!_

 _To protect the Alliance, and all its interest._

 _The great founders made this Alliance for the people._

 _Heroes who gave up their lives for this union_

 _Remember the people who worked hard day to day._

 _And we must not make their sacrifices in vain!_

 _Glory and Unity is what we most value!_

 _These values integrated deep in our hearts_

 _Defend our people with all the strength and courage we have!_

 _For it is our greatest responsibility_

 _Arm yourselves and join the fight for our great people!_

 _For it is our utmost creed that we must heed!_

 _From Mount Olympus to the Italian Alpines!_

 _The Great Acropolis to the Colloseum!_

 _The Athens of Greece to the Stockholm of Sweden_

 _Oh how magnificent these lands we have!_

 _We must preserve these lands that our ancestors possessed!_

 _Honor and Loyalty for our great Union!_

 _-Treasures of a Nation: Heritage and Unity by Nikandros Megalos_

* * *

 **Gothenburg, Sweden**

 **February 28, 2085**

The streets of Gothenburg were in a minute of silence, mourning for all that died in the attempt invasion. Not only Gothenburg, but Stockholm as well, not only the capital of Sweden, but the whole Sweden. Not only the people of Sweden, but Italy, Norway, Iceland, Finland. Poland, Ukraine, Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece mourned for the victims of the Battle of Gothenburg.

A man stepped up on the podium, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"My people! Our union has been under attack by invaders, who foolishly think that their indiscriminate slaughter they left behind will go unpunished. Many have lost their loved ones, their friends, and families. And that is why our Great Armed forces will be send through the 'gate', to prevent another possible invasion from happening again, and to give revenge against the invaders! My people, now I'm going to ask you one, important question, will you support the Alliance in our expedition to the other side? Will you give your support in our war against the barbaric invaders! Do you have faith in the United Independent Armed Forces, to avenge your loved ones?"

The crowd cheered with approval.

He smiled with triumph. Gaining the support of his people, he could send a UIAF expedition to wherever that tunnel leads to. He looked beside him, Brigadier General Xanthopolous observed the crowds of civilians before him. Some were cheering for them, while the others, wear wistful expressions, grieving for whoever they knew that died on the incident.

"Brigadier General, you may mobilize your first units."

He turned towards him and gave a salute. "Right away sir."

 **1st Armored Infantry Company**

The 1st Company, one of the six companies of the 1st Expedition Battalion of the Special Region Expeditionary Brigade, lined up in front of the Gate.

Each company is composed of 6 tanks, 4 IFVs, and 3 APCs, and 5 trucks that carried their equipment and supplies.

"Captain Accardo, we're opening the gates. Lead on."

"Copy." He changed the comm channel to the lead IFV. "Alpha-1, forward."

"Roger." Alpha-1's commander said. He looked at his periscope, the metal gates were opening slowly.

"Driver, onward."

The crowd cheered for the battalion as they moved into the tunnel.

* * *

 **Falmart**

I peeked in the scope, there was a wide entrance with light shining. "Exit spotted, 50 meters."

At last, they're finally out of the tunnel, "Floros, headlights, off." The driver turned of the headlights.

"Identifying targets." I said while looking at the periscope. A voice called my in my radio.

"Sergeant Raptis, this is RT-1, we've spotted 4 cohort-sized hostiles entering the forest. Be advised."

"Thanks RT-1, we'll be advised." I looked around the 360 degree sights, no one.

The other IFVs were coming out of the tunnel, positioning behind us.

I switched on the thermal imager, thanks to the shade of the trees, I could see a formation of figures hiding in the forest. I counted, 10, 15, 25, about 40 of them.

"Hostiles spotted, 150 meters! Loader, ready HE shell."

"HE shell loaded!"

"Gunner, on my command."

"Fire!"

The IFV fired its autocannon. I peeked through the periscope again to see two trees falling down, some figures were running to avoid the falling trees, exposing themselves.

"Loader, fire MGs on the targets."

Heavy MG fire took down a half of them. More of them started running towards our direction, intending for a charge.

"Everyone, line formation!" The Lieutenant colonel said to us on his radio.

We all lined up, preparing against the incoming charge.

"Alpha-1-2. Alpha-1-3, engage the front targets, Alpha-1-4, Alpha-1-5, protect the flanks."

"Gunner, identify targets' status."

"Hostile's are still moving." The gunner said while looking at his sight. The enemy group is still moving from tree to tree, trying a vulnerable spot of our formation against us.

"Gunner, continue fire at those targets." I said while looking at the periscope. He fired another shot, it managed to hit 3 men.

"Three hostiles down." He fired the autocannon again, this time hitting two targets.

"Two down." the gunner said.

I spotted a line of larger silhouettes charging towards us. I zoomed the periscope closer to see men on horses.

"Cavalry formation, 60 meters ahead!" The gunner aimed the turret at them, alas, just in time for it to ran out.

"Shit reload!" The loader took out a shell-mag and placed it into the gun breech.

The cavalrymen charging fast towards us. Just 30 meters away from our position.

I took hold of the remote MG trigger and opened fire on them. I saw two horses stopping in their tracks and tumbling down.

"Autocannon reloaded!" The loader shouted.

"Three targets eliminated." I stopped the machine gun-fire as the gunner continued its auto-cannon barrage, the HE shells quickly obliterated the cavalrymen.

"Cavalry eliminated." I heard the cannon fire of the other IFVs stopping.

The voice of RT-1 spoke from my radio, "This is RT-1, we've just confirmed that the majority of the enemy forces are eliminated. Good work."

"Thanks for the info RT-1." I replied back in my radio comm.

Then the commander spoke, "All IFV units, sweep the forest for any remaining hostiles. Capture any survivors, and if they attempt resist, eliminate them."

"Acknowledged Alpha-1, we'll begin sweep operations."

I looked around for any usable path for our vehicle to traverse through. I eventually found a clearing that could fit in.

"Driver, go to that clearing over there." The engine of our IFV roared as we moved towards the small clearing.

"Gunner, scan for any targets."

"Recon Team-1, reports on the retreating enemy group."

"The group is still currently in retreat, no signs of attempting a counterattack."

"Thanks for the heads up RT-1, continue surveillance of the area." A knock on the door caught Accardo's attention. "Who is it?"

"It's me sir, Captain Altoviti. Major Simonides is calling for you, looks like he wants to talk to you."

"Alright, thanks captain, I'll be there soon." He took his helmet and put on for protection outside. He opened the rear blast plate before opening the main hatch. He stepped out of the vehicle and looked around. The time looks likes around afternoon already, partly cloudy.

"Captain Accardo, there you are. I want to show you something." Or someone, the Major signalled the two men behind him to bring a person.

The person was injured, and donned in a mail armor used by the Romans. A torn cape behind his back. Unlike the armor worn by standard footsoldiers, this man wore an adorned version of it. Indicating him to be a high-ranked officer, possibly a senior centurion. "Squad-1 found him hiding under a dead horse."

"Speak." Major ushered the prisoner to talk. He started speaking Latin, making the Major slap his back.

"English, fool. You're not tricking us, I know you speak English." The centurion was shocked, he shook his head in denial. "Our scouts heard you speaking English last night. You're not fooling us, now speak."

"No need, Simonides, I know Latin." He squad down and spoke to the centurion. It took a minute before the centurion finally complied to speak.

"What did you guys talked about?"

"So far, I only got his name, Aemilius. We shall turn him in for interrogation back at HQ. Meanwhile, we'll need to find a land for our base. This forest's too risky, and very vulnerable to fire arrows."

"Recon Team-1 found a plain land in the North side of this forest, we could use that. And this forest could access us with some lumber if we ever need some."

"Great, is the forest secured?" Accardo asked. "I'll have to contact the IFV commanders for a minute." He turned around and spoke in his radio, "All IFV units, status report on sweep operation?"

"This is Alpha-1-2, all sweep operations are complete. The forest is secured."

"Acknowledged Alpha-1-2."

"Major Simonides, you and your company can go ahead, I'm going to meet up with RT-1."

"Roger Captain." He said as he went back to his command vehicle.

"Altoviti, come with me. We'll head up to Recon Team-1." The two officers hiked up to the ridge of the mountain, where the camp of RT-1 is located.

* * *

"Antonis, forward." He said to the driver.

The vehicle moved forward, followed by his company's APCs.

They went through the forest until they finally got out of it. Alpha-1-2 and Alpha-1-4 were stopped in a line formation, their turrets pointing at opposite directions.

"Alpha-1-2, Alpha-1-4, move forward by 50 meters and establish a perimeter."

"Right away sir." The two IFVs moved forward and separated from their formation.

Simonides was about to climb out of his vehicle when the leader of RT-1 called. "Major, we've located heavy activity on the enemy camp on the hill, west of your side, about 800 meters."

"Thanks for the heads-up sergeant."

He switched the comm channel to 3rd Pioneers Platoon.

"Lieutenant Ioaniddis, this is Major Simonides. The Captain gave a task to establish an outpost on this area. Double time men, there is heavy hostile presence nearby our area, we'll cover you."

"Roger that." The lieutenant replied. The Lieutenant's and the rest of the platoon's MEVs began constructing dugouts for AFVs and foundation for watchtowers and barracks. The infantry engineers were busy as well, building makeshift watchtowers and barriers.

Recon Team-1 spoke again, "This is RT-1, we've just spotted two enemy cohorts moving towards your position sir."

"Thanks for the info RT-1, we'll be on the defensive." He immediately switched the radio channel to everyone in his company.

"This is Major Simonides, everyone, prepare a defensive perimeter. Incoming hostiles at west, 800 meters. Double time men, double time!"

The engineers hastily built barriers and small sandbag forts for defense, while the infantrymen get into and on to any cover they could find.

"Chronis, spot for targets west of us." The gunner turned the turret towards west of their position. A hill between two mountains stood far from them.

"This is RT-1, hostiles are now 500 meters ahead of your position."

"Thank you once again RT-1, we're now on alert." He looked through the periscope and zoomed towards the hill where the recon team implied the enemy groups were.

"Hostile formations spotted, 400 meters."

Alpha-1-2 and 1-4 saw them as well, guiding their guns on the cohorts, ready to fire.

The Captain was observing the vast mountain ranges, along with his adjutant and recon team. He spotted the enemy, which were fast-approaching the Major's position.

"All IFVs, at 200 meters, open fire on the cavalry units."

A radio operator ran towards him, giving a salute before speaking "Sir the 2nd Battalion has arrived, and 3rd Battalion will follow."

"Thanks for informing. Tell them to hurry up, we'll be needing more men here." The operator nodded and quickly head back to his post.

He saw a line of archers readying their bows to release, he promptly grabbed his radio. "Major Simonides, archer formation 300 meters ahead of you."

The archers released their bows, launching the arrows into the sky. Most of his men managed to dodge the arrows and stayed in cover, but an unfortunate soldiers got hit in the leg, rendering him crippled for a second before his squadmate ran to him.

"Alpha-1-3, give us cover fire!" One of the men in his squad said. He followed him and fired on the charging cavalrymen, taking out two of them.

He assisted him in dragging their injured squadmate, whose knee is still bleeding.

A medic immediately ran to them and checked the injured soldier. Right after treating the wounded soldier, the rain of arrows seemed to stop.

"Autoriflemen, suppressive fire. Riflemen, engage those archers at 250 meters ahead of us." Shouted the squad leader.

* * *

The defense now lasted more than 5 minutes, the men kept firing at the charging enemies. This was starting to reduce the men's morale. No matter how many they killed, the waves of hostiles kept coming and coming. They already have 4 men injured by the rain of arrows.

"Where's the 2nd Company and 3rd Company?!" the sergeant shouted. His answer came when he heard Captain Accardo stated in his radio, "Alpha-1 to 5th Company, 2nd Company has arrived from the tunnel, approaching your position in 2 minutes."

The fighting spirits of the men were revived upon hearing the news of reinforcements. "All units, keep firing."

The company heard what they've been waiting for, the loud noise of engines came from the forest. The tanks revealed themselves from the forest, their heavy-caliber guns aiming at the hill, the heavy tanks were followed by a column of infantry along with four IFVs. Loud booms came from the tanks' main guns, hitting the enemy formations at the hill. Accardo peeked through his binoculars, the enemies scattered from their formations, others retreated while some still ran down the hill, only to get gunned down either by the IFVs' auto-cannons or infantry gunfire.

"Alpha-1-2, Alpha-1-3, advance. Alpha-1-4 and 5, cover them. 2nd Company IFVs will follow you." The IFVs moved forward in a wedge formation. Backed up by 2nd Armored Infantry Company.

The ISS-2/66 tanks continued their barrage on the hill, taking out numerous footsoldiers as they can.

The 2nd Company's command vehicle drove up to the recon team's camp, the company leader climbed out of it, along with his second-in-command.

"Glad you've finally arrived Major Gimondi, what took you so long?"

"We got some engine problems and turret malfunctions with our IFVs while ago. Consider you and your company lucky that you don't have to stay in that dark tunnel for more than 20 minutes."

Accardo chuckled, then returned to his serious tone "We were worried though, we haven't seen you guys for 20 minutes and I was considering for a retreat back to the forest."

"Your Company can probably handle them, and besides, 3rd Company is here as well." He gestured towards the gate exit, APCs and IFVs were driving out of the tunnel.

He looked towards the hill, where the enemy camp's stood on top "And looks like you guys managed to push them back."

"Yeah, with your company's big guns. We would've took some time without the heavy tanks."

"Anyway, I've gotta go and inform and inform the General on our assault's status." Accardo said as he paced back to the communications tent.

* * *

"This place stinks like hell." One of the riflemen muttered in disgust as they rode on top of their personnel carriers through the dozen of bodies, horses, humans, and humanoids mangled and littered throughout the field.

The rifleman looked back, the engineers resumed their construction of the outpost, then back at the hill.

The Major instructed them to prepare a counterattack on the enemy base, right on top of that hill.

* * *

 **Hoped you like the chapter!**

* * *

 **Information:**

 **[1] The ISS-2/66 is the predecessor of the ISS-2/78 heavy infantry-support tank. The heavy tank was revived as a need for an armored vehicle that could support infantry, traverse through rough terrains, and fight against other tanks. The ISS-2/66 was a success during it's deployment on the Mindanao region of the Philippines during 2069.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name:** **Infanteri-Stöd Stridsvagn-2/66**

 **Type: Heavy tank**

 **Country of Origin: Sweden**

 **Manufacturers: Bofors AB and BulletStorm Corp**

 **Users and service years:**

 **Sweden (2066-2078)  
UIA (2066-2089)  
Finland (2070-2080)  
Main Armament: 175mm Smoothbore gun  
Secondary Armaments: 1x Carl Gustav 50. cal HMG turret  
1x coaxial IMG 50. cal HMG  
Speed: 60 km/h  
Fuel Capacity: 1200  
Operational Range: 520 km  
Crew: 4 (Driver, Gunner, Commander, Loader) **

**[2] Nikandros Xiphias Megalos was a Greek reknowned author, politician, and veteran of the Hellenic Army during the decades of the late 2020s until 2030s. He was known for his patriotic works including the series "** _ **Treasures of a Nation**_ **". He had close relations with Supreme Leader Anthonius** **Stålhammar** **of the UIA and was a devoted supporter of the Alliance, accepting the invite to join them in 2029. His contributions and connection with the UIA made him an enemy from opposition groups. He was assassinated in the courtyard of the Hagia Sophia during his visit to Thessaloniki, on November 13, 2032. The perpetrator, Josef Zervos, was investigated and found to be an agent of the JAA, an ally of the ILA insurgent group operating in the Mediterranean and Southern European regions. His death was widely known throughout Europe and other regions, and was hailed a hero by the UIA. A monument was built in Thessaloniki, near the area where he died. The event gave the UIA short years of extreme popularity, but slowly declined in the middle of 2035.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**After the war between the ILA and the UN, the United Nations Armed Forces was weakened, only 4,000-5,000 personnel in all branches, and their peacekeeping forces left. As a result, the UN's ability in enforcing order in war-torn areas reduced. Because of the result, nations sent their selected individuals on a meeting, seeking to create another organization dedicated to establish order in nations. In 2049, the Coalition of Nations was formed. A Supreme Commander was needed to be appointed as the main person for the other division leaders to answer and report to. General Vadim Sokolov of the Russian Army was chosen.**_

 _ **The Coalition's first headquarters was established at Verdun, France, and was also designated as the Main HQ of the Coalition. And the Coalition's Council was created. 4 months after the creation of the CoN, the organization was met with criticisms and doubt. To prevent more criticism, the Supreme Leader created the United Nationalities Armed Task Force. Weeks later started the arming of the UNATF, equipping the standard infantry with light transportation and standard gear. The equipment were mixed, mostly composed of Russian and British equipment. It conducted its first operation in Sierra Leone along UN peacekeeping forces, fighting against ILA remnants hiding in the Western and Southern regions of Africa. What followed were consecutive operations of successful peacemaking.**_

" _ **When the UN was proved to be too incompetent to conduct good, effective peacekeeping operations. We have to do something, and so we created the Coalition and its Armed Task Force. Determined to be more efficient, more disciplined, and better equipped. We wanted to be two times- no, we wanted to be ten times better than the UN. It's time for an organization that conducts with efficiency, sheer efficiency. Not an organization with false promises of 'world peace'. For world-wide peace, is something that could not be attained on Earth."**_

 _ **-Vadim Fedorov Sokolov, 1st Supreme Commander of the Coalition of Nations**_

Three weeks, Tokyo was in a mood of solemn and grievance. But today, the streets of Tokyo are in a cheerful celebration, people cheering for the UN combined forces consisting of Japan and it's allies, including Americans, British, Germans, French, Dutch, and Filipinos.

"Captain, report me on the UN-allied army composition." Goettner asked.

"Sir, the contingent consists, of a regiment of Americans, one brigade of Brits, one regiment of Germans, one regiment from the Australians, two French battalions, 2 battalions for the Dutch as well, and 3 multinational special-purpose battalions. Manila was able to send a regiment of troops. There were talks of South Koreans going to be involved too." The General replied.

"How about the North, weren't the Koreans unified?" The Supreme Commander asked, his peaked hat creating a shadow covering the upper half of his face, spectating the street lined up with military vehicles.

"The North Koreans, assisted by the South, are still currently fighting the few remaining NUIA battalions left near their borders, Sir."

"The NUIA? Are the UIAs involved?"

"Our latest reports indicate that there are no UIA presence, yet." Goettner respond with a nod, "Any news on the invasion of Gothenburg?"

"Ah yes sir, the invasion was repelled. UIA casualties were around 30 while the NUIA lost more than 40 men."

"And the other incident?" The adjutant knew what he meant, suspicions of another 'gate' in Sweden, there were intel of a similar structure. "We still cannot fully confirm yet, I'll try and get some updates from our Intelligence gatherers."

"Any more?"

The adjutant shook his head, "None sir. That's all."

"Okay, thank you very much." Not much was said after that.

Among the crowded streets, a soldier ran along the line of vehicles, trying to find his platoon. He finally found one of his comrades, Corporal Jeffers, standing behind one of their APCs.

"I just went...to the bathroom...and... a couple of minutes...later...you guys were gone!" He said, panting after the long sprint he went through Ginza.

"Ha! A couple of minutes my ass. You've been in the cubicle for about 10 minutes. We had to go first since at least _some_ of us have to be here, or all of us will be considered late." Jeffers opened the backdoor, "Come on, there's only 20 minutes left before mobilization time." He climbed into the back, where his other platoonmates were sitting.

"Told you should've gone to the bathroom earlier Private Neville. We have 20 minutes a while ago before we left the airbase." Sergeant Hoefler commented at his previous predicament as he plopped down on the not-so comfortable seat. It was made with leather, but still uncomfortable.

He looked around, there was _Unteroffizier_ Hoefler, Private Second Class Amelia Payne, Private Damien Leclair, and our Squad leader, Staff Sergeant Douglas Tanner. The staff sergeant turned around, sitting next to the driver. "We'll have a delay for a few minutes, we're still 1 person short in our recon team."

He checked the whole APC again, nobody's missing. But other than that, what the sergeant said just confirmed his speculation of them being tasked as a recon unit.

"So we are really going to be a recon team." He whispered to Hoefler, "Yeah, that means we're not really gonna be into much combat." And to the tone of his voice, he is not excited about it.

"At least we're not gonna risk ourselves being hacked by medieval savages." Said Leclair, our automatic rifleman.

"So who are we waiting for?" Hoefler asked the platoon leader.

"The leader of another team that we're gonna be operating with is excused to be late for a while."

"Why sir? If I may ask." The sergeant didn't face back at him this time, "Lieutenant Katsuo Youji, a good friend of mine, is attending his grandfather's funeral. Mr. Itami Youji just died 3 weeks ago."

"Oh..." He trailed off, the whole vehicle was silent again, except for the radio chatter and engine running.

The radio came alive again, "Sergeant Tanner, Avenger-1 is here. We are complete, I repeat, we are complete. Mobilization is in 1200."

"Acknowledged Third Recon Team." Tanner looked at his wristwatch, **1156**.

2 minutes later and he started feeling drowsy, they woke up at 500 to prepare all their equipment and took an early brunch at 1000. Maybe he could take a nap, just a short nap.

He was about to close his eyes when a loud noise came from the radio.

"This is SunRay-1, all units commence Mobilization." The driver started up the engine, then drove forward, following the column of vehicles ahead of him.

Despite being in the thick armor of the APC, they could still hear the loud cheers of the people outside.

Everything starts to get darker as they entered the tunnel, making the driver open the interior lights.

"300 meters away from tunnel exit." the driver informed.

They were filled with anticipation, what could be on the other side? Other than the creatures from fantasy literature like wyverns and orcs.

"200 meters away from tunnel exit."

 _Would there be elves? Goblins? Fairies?_

"What do you think they have on the other side?" Payne asked, teeming with curiosity.

"We won't know yet, but I bet there's going to have some really interesting things over there."

"50 meters away from exit."

The light of the tunnel was getting nearer and nearer.

The IFV ahead of us came out of the tunnel, sunlight shining down on him. Our APC followed, and the rays of sunlight immediately came into the small windows of the personnel carrier.

The gate was guarded by two IFVs, showing it to be the Coalition's vehicles with the acronym **CON** written on their rear. The whole area was covered by tall barriers, preventing anyone from climbing into the gate.

We moved into the outpost, the whole area was busy. Crewmen refueling their vehicles, mechanics maintaining their specific vehicles in the motorpool, and surprisingly, the medical tents were occupied as well.

"Looks like the tent's bustling with patients and medics, is there an attack last night?" the gunner said.

"Yeah, 3 cohorts of Imperials attempted a night attack. The basterds have some flame magic, not too lethal, luckily." All the other APCs went to the garages while ours stopped in front of the headquarters.

"Everyone get out." Douglas ordered, climbing down from his seat.

They crouched down while walking, trying to get out of the narrow compartment of the APC. The AITV-III Armored Personnel Carrier has a low profile, being both an advantage and disadvantage.

"Get to the briefing room first, I'm gonna talk with the Commander here." He walked ahead of us to the headquarters building.

We entered the briefing room along with the Third recon team, and they seemed to be quiet. My fellow platoonmates were silent as well. Leclair and Jeffers were the only ones talking with each other, getting coffee near a coffee dispenser.

I decided to break this uncomfortable silence, a young soldier, about the same age was behind me, one of the JSDFs. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sergeant Gordon Neville." I reached my hand towards him.

The soldier was surprised at first, but accepted the handshake and smiled, "I'm Shichiro Kurata of the Japan Self-Defence Force. Nice to meet you too."

"Let me introduce you to some of my mates. This is Staff Sergeant Eike Hoefler." He gestured to the German beside him.

"It's quite obvious with the _Flecktarn_ camo." The well-built man with spiky hair beside him calmly said. "I'm Takehiko Tomita, Sergeant First Class of the JSDF. You must be part of the German Heer right?"

"Correct. And that must be the _Jieitai_ , the Japanese version of the _Fleckentarn._ " I looked back at Leclair and Jeffers to find them talking with two other JSDF soldiers.

"That's Rokuro Katsumoto, the brawny guy, and Tou Kawagachi, the 'studious' member of our Team." He referred to the two men talking to his platoonmates.

"And those ladies right there are Setsuko Kuribayashi and Atsuma Kurokawa. Kurokawa's our medic and Kuribayashi's a pro on close-quarter combat."

Kurata continued on introducing the UN-voluntary soldiers to his teammates, except for their team leader.

"Looks like it's time for me to introduce my platoonmates."

"Sergeant Douglas, you and your squad will be redesignated as 4th Deep Reconnaissance Squad. Your platoon and Third Recon Team will meet another recon team on a village 10 kilometers west of our base. Your units will be assigned with an armored backup."

"Armored backup?" Katsuo wondered. It could be any type of Armored Vehicle: an APC, an IFV, or a light tank.

"Friendly interaction with the civilians is highly recommended, we need the support of the local people here, to avoid any possible rebellions and insurgencies supporting the Saderan Empire. After meeting up with the recon team, you'll move up to a town name Italica. It's a strategic point and a hub for trading, resistance may be expected. Any questions, or suggestions?"

"No sir." They both answered.

"Then you may be dismissed. After 30 minutes you may start your mission. Rest first."

I placed my sword into my sheath. I forgot my armor back at the camp, probably burned to pieces by now.

"Hurry hurry, Imperial army officers are coming to this village."

"Why in a hurry?" I asked, "Shouldn't we just return to them?" this time Plinius asked.

"No, unless you want to get send to your deaths. Heard they're returning the survivors back to the Front. They're trying to get any body-abled men to join." The legionary officer said, putting a saddle to his horse. He managed to buy horses for our transportation last week.

"So we are we going now?" Plinius asked, climbing up to his own horse.

"We need to head east, there's another village there that the Imperials rarely go to. We could stay there for a couple of weeks before I could find another place." We were originally 8 of us when we were out of the camp, 2 died because of those explosion in the forest, from what I've heard they called those blasts. And 2 more left for Italica.

"Come on let's move." The officer spoke to the leader of the village, he thanked him for letting us stay for a week.

We waved the villagers goodbye, setting off to another village.

"This is the place." Staff Sergeant Tanner said. "Sergeant Neville, come with me." Gordon went down the APC, he looked left to see Staff Sergeant Tanner and Lieutenant Youji talking with each other.

"Neville, Tomita, cover us." Tomita calmly nodded, going to the right side of the village entrance. Neville went to the other side, watching out for any threats.

A villager came out of a house carrying a basket, he saw them and stood in perplexity. Four children were running around and laughing, they stopped at the entrance and stared at the soldiers, fascinated with their clothing and the firearms they're holding.

"Lieutenant Youji, area is clear, you may enter." A voice spoke to him in his radio comm. "Please state who you are." 1st Lt. Youji replied.

"This is Sergeant Richthofen, Recon Squad-B. Meet us at the center of the village."

"Where could it be..." They searched for a way to find the center of the village. A house taller than the others caught their attention. Must be the meeting hall of the village.

"Let's see if that leads to the center." Their guess was correct, in front of the tall house is an elderly man surrounded by villagers, and a squad of infantrymen. Unlike the UN-Allied Armies' soldiers, the Coalition's troopers have their own standard uniforms. However, the 'special' units have their own unique variants of uniforms.

"Volkov, alert SunRay-1 that Third Recon Team and 4th Recon Platoon has arrived." The leader of the squad ordered to one of his men.

"Glad you've finally arrived. I'm Sergeant Friedhelm Richthofen, me and my squad's part of the 8th Advanced Special Operations Platoon. Did the Commander tell you what your task is?" The squad leader had a European accent, specifically German, similar to Hoefler.

Youji nodded, "Yes, we're here to interact with the local population and after that, head for Italica."

"Well the Commander just added a new one. Before you head to Italica, there is an elf settlement inside a forest nearby. SunRay-1 wants you to check it out."

"And how about you guys?" Sergeant Tanner asked.

"We're tasked in securing another village about 20 kilometers east away from this village. We're gonna leave this whole settlement for you guys now. Good luck." He said, then departed the village using another gateway, where several armored vehicles were parked.

"Kurata, move in the vehicles."

"Roger." the driver replied. We went back to the entrance we used while ago, followed by the villagers. Both the JSDF and UN vehicles drove into the village, good thing they could fit in.

The Third Recon Team vehicles were a Type-55 light truck, a Type-77 SMV, and lastly, the Type-80F ARV. The 4th Deep Recon Squad's vehicles were composed of two Lynx IMVs, and an AITV-III armored personnel carrier.

We stayed in the village for an hour, The two unit leaders talked with the village leader. Katsumoto interacted with the kids, playing with them. Amelia finally conversed with the two girls of 3rd Recon team, after the short introduction with each other at the base.

We left at noon for the elf village, we gave our goodbyes to the villagers, hoping to see them another day.

 **Senate Building of the Imperial Council, Sadera**

"My Emperor." The senator knelt down before continuing his address of the issue, "This new enemy that our Great Imperial Army fought at Alnus Hill is stronger than we have anticipated. Even their civilization is advanced. And before you place your doubt on my statement, hear from one of your great Generals." The Emperor, seating on his golden throne under the Imperial banner, wondered which General is he referring to.

He stood up from his marble seat, revealing to be General Valentinus. A successful General that commanded his Legions in quelling the Tuban rebels around Knappnai and and Telta.

"I would like to hear your thoughts, General." The Emperor commanded.

"As Senator Casel said, the enemy has captured Alnus hill. Eliminating our defences with ease. They're shown to have powerful magic that could pierce through thick materials, even our Legionarius armor couldn't deflect it. Our scouts reported that the civilization beyond is technologically advanced: horseless carriages, tall buildings made of glass, grey, mysterious, fat rods hovering above the sky."

The Emperor was fascinated, but he wanted more, "Any news from the scouts today?"

The General had a somber expression, "No sir, I have lost contact with the scouts for two weeks already my Emperor. And I can't send anymore scouts with the enemy already establishing a camp at Alnus."

The Emperor took some minutes before speaking again, "Anybody else want to express their thoughts?"

Another General quickly stood up, "My Emperor, I suggest we wage a full-on war against the invaders! We could gather all our vassal states armies to supplement our Legions." Several other senators backed the General's opinion. The General's idea gave him a great scheme, if he could gather all the vassal armies, and send them as meatshields. He can eliminate any rival of his power.

"Silence, silence." The arguing senators and generals immediately stopped their squabbles with each other.

"It's time for a poll. Who votes for a peace agreement with the invading enemy."

About 5 of them raised their hands, including Marquis Casel and General Valentinus.

"And who votes for war?" More than 10 senators and generals raised their hands.

"It appears the majority have chose for war."

"Wait shouldn't we negotiate with the enemy if they agre-"

"We will not have any negotiations with the enemy." The Emperor's words forced the Marquis from further speaking.

 _This is outrageous, we're fighting on two sides and we already lost 2 legions and 10 cohorts. How many more soldiers are we gonna send into their deaths?!_ General Valentinus was calm, but inside, he's boiling with rage. He's always willing to wage war against the Empire's enemies. But this, this is utter foolish decision-making right here. Still, orders are orders, and he must ensure the defence of the Empire and its people.

 **Information:**

 **[1] The Armoured Infantry Transport Vehicle Mark-3, shortened as AITV-III, is the predecessor of the British Armored Personnel Carrier AITV-II, and the successor of AITV-IV. The AITV-III was widely used during the First African Campaign by British, Australian, and South African forces.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: AITV-III**

 **Type: APC**

 **Country of origin: UK**

 **Manufacturer: BAE Systems**

 **Users: UK**

 **Australia**

 **South Africa**

 **New Zealand**

 **Main Armaments: 1x 30mm autocannon**

 **1x ATGM launcher**

 **Secondary Armament: 1x 50. cal HMG remote turret**

 **Speed: 86 km/h**

 **Fuel Capacity: 850 liters**

 **Operational range: 700 km**

 **Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)**

 **[2] The Type-55 light truck is one of the main light infantry-transport vehicles of the JSDF.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Type-55 light truck**

 **Type: light truck**

 **Country of origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Komatsu**

 **Users: Japan**

 **Main Armaments: 1x pintle-mounted 7.62mm LMG**

 **Speed: 91 km/h**

 **Fuel Capacity: 850 liters**

 **Operational range: 800-950 km**

 **Crew: 2 (Driver, Gunner)**

 **Passenger load: 4**

 **[3] The Type-77 SMV is a Japanese Infantry-Mobility Vehicle used by the JSDF.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Type-77 Swift-Mobility Vehicle**

 **Type: APC**

 **Country of origin: UK**

 **Manufacturer: BAE Systems**

 **Users: Japan**

 **Main Armaments: 1x 50. cal HMG remote turret**

 **Speed: 94 km/h**

 **Fuel Capacity: 900 liters**

 **Operational range: 950-1100 km**

 **Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)**

 **Passenger load: 4**

 **[4] Type-80F ARV is the 6th version of the Type-80 ARV-series reconaissance vehicle used by the JSDF.**

 **Name: Type-80F Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle**

 **Type: APC**

 **Country of origin: UK**

 **Manufacturer: BAE Systems**

 **Users: Japan**

 **Main Armaments: 1x 40mm GMG remote turret**

 **1x ATGM launcher**

 **Secondary Armament: 1x pintle-mounted 50. cal HMG**

 **Speed: 80 km/h**

 **Fuel Capacity: 850 liters**

 **Operational range: 900 km**

 **Crew: 4 (Driver, Gunner, Commander, Loader)**

 **Passenger load: 6**

 **[5] The Lynx IMV is a British infantry-transportation vehicle used by the British Armed Forces and most of the Commonwealth nations' armies.**

 **Name: Lynx Infantry-Mobility Vehicle**

 **Type: IMV**

 **Country of origin: UK**

 **Manufacturer: BAE Systems**

 **Users: UK**

 **Australia**

 **New Zealand**

 **South Africa**

 **Papua New Guinea**

 **Uganda**

 **Sierra Leone**

 **Main Armaments: 2x 50. cal HMG remote turrets**

 **1x ATGM launcher (optional)**

 **Speed: 97 km/h**

 **Fuel Capacity: 850 liters**

 **Operational range: 700-900 km**

 **Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)**

 **Passenger load: 5**


	8. Chapter 8

**ATP: Were you guys referring to the 3rd Advanced Armored Infantry Battalion in Chapter 5 or the UIA 1st Armored Infantry Battalion in Chapter 6? If it's about the UIA's battalion, an armored infantry unit(either a company, battalion or a regiment) would have combined armored vehicles including battle tanks backed up by either light tanks or IFVs. Since the standard size of a battalion is about 300 men, each tank crew consists of 4 men, and the APCs' and IFVs' crew are 4 men, with passenger capacity of 8 troops. 4 tanks equal 16 men, 3 APCs equal 12 men, and 4 IFVs equal 16 men. Passenger capacity of 4 IFVs and 3 APCs equal 56 men. In the 5 trucks, 2 trucks are infantry-transport trucks, 2 trucks are supply-carriers, and the last truck is a military ambulance. The capacity of the infantry-transport trucks are 1 driver and 15 passengers(1 in the front). Each of the supply trucks have 1 driver and an additional seat. The Medic-truck has 1 driver and 5 passenger capacity. Adding them all equals 142...oops barely half a battalion and ¾ of a company. I'll edit and add the numbers of APCs, trucks and IFVs up. Should've done the math before typing the numbers :/**

 **The Coalition's battalion has 5 IFVs, 6 APCs, and 5 trucks. The Coalition's standard IFV has 3 crewmen and 6 passengers. The APC consists of 3 crewmen and 8 passengers. Adding the IFVs equals 45. APCs equals 66. In the 5 trucks, 3 trucks are light infantry-transport and the last 2 are supply-carriers. The transport trucks have 1 driver and 10 passenger seats in the back and 2 additional seats in front. So that means 39 men. The supply-carriers have 1 driver and 2 additional seats as well = 9 men. If we add them all it'll be 159, exceeding the size of a company.**

 **NOTE: I realized that I accidentally named Sgt. Tanner's platoon as a squad, and I got the wrong rank for him as well. I'm gonna edit the mistakes. I had no clear idea why I wrote them as a squad, guess I was in a hurry.**

* * *

"Volkov, Conway, disembark." Their squad leader ordered. The Russian and British went down their vehicle, they stopped 50 meters away from the village they were tasked in securing.

"Cover us while we advance." They moved onward to the village. They were greeted by several armed villagers on the front gate.

"Who are you people, state your intentions here." The leader of the armed militia questioned. He took a second before the leader recognized them. "Oh it's you guys from last week. You may enter."

"What's with the increase of armed guards?" Richthofen asked.

"Two days ago, a bunch of deserters from the Imperial army tried to plunder and raid our village. We got news yesterday that there were villages assailed by similar deserters. And that's why we're arming ourselves against thieves and bandits, something we rarely had to counter against."

"I see. So there aren't much problems here that need dealing?" The guards captain scratched his chin, "I guess you'll have to talk to our Chief. He knows every issue of the village."

The captain led the four into the Chief's house. He knocked on the door, "Chief, the greymen are back to visit."

"Let them in." The captain opened the door. Chief Priscus was sitting in his wooden chair, drinking another cup of mead.

"Good to meet you again Sergeant Richthofen. What is your purpose of visiting here? Not that I'm against it."

"Our Commander wants us to check your village here. To make sure this place is secure. Are there any issues here that need resolving?"

"Unfortunately yes, our woodcutters spotted a band of soldiers in the woods yesterday. They managed to hear their plans of raiding our village. And so we stocked up on defenses."

"We could help deal with the bandits." Richthofen said, making Chief Priscus smile, "Thank you very much. You'll get our support of your Coalition in return, and possibly anything you want, gold? Treasure? More supplies?."

"That will be enough." He simply said. "We don't really need gold nor treasure, but supplies may be needed sometime."

* * *

In the forest, a gang of deserters of the Imperial army circled around their campfire. They're preparing for a raid on the village beyond this forest, after that, they're planning to join the other deserters on an assault of the Town of Italica. A large plunder it will be!

The leader stood up, sheathing his long sword. "Let us begin."

They marched through the dark forest, on to the village. They wanted a surprise attack on the unsuspecting villager guards, so that they could reduce possible casualties on their side.

They're near the village already, and he could see the guards with their torches. The leader smiled, he knew this would be another successful raid.

His archers were preparing their bows, waiting for him to call the order to strike.

He then heard an explosion, similar to those at Alnus camp. And he dreaded the sound of that. His comrades were rapidly blown to pieces, forcing the others to scatter throughout the woods.

He archers pulled their bows, but were blown aback by an unseen force.

He then saw the swift increase of number of men at the gate, and in the torches he saw the men in grey among the guards.

His men were reduced into 6 of them, now heavily outnumbered by the guards of the village.

The BPMD IFV continued its autocannons barrage on the bandits, until none are left. The IFV moved forward to sweep out any remaining survivors. The Chief sent two groups of guards into the forest.

"The woodcutters said the number of deserters were more than 20. We only found 23 of them."

A guard shouted from the forest, waving for the Chief to come over.

"Sir, we found a survivor." He pointed towards the man held by two guards. The man wore the armor of an Imperial centurion, indicating him to be a former commander.

"What good find we have, we could turn him in to the authorities and be punished for desertion."

"He's all yours now Chief Priscus." Sergeant Richthofen said. Going back to his squad along with the IFV, Friedhelm instructed half of his squad to establish a camp for the night.

* * *

We camped 10 kilometers away from the forest, we finished our dinner and rest for a while before sleeping, since we just finished eating. Others cleaned their weapons, others were chatting, so I went to check what Kurata's doing. Kurata, not surprisingly, is talking with the other drivers, Ichiro Higashi, Yoshiaki Kawahara, our two other drivers, and Crisanto Guiraldo and Booker Derricks, the drivers of the Lynx IMVs.

"Heard this could speed up to 97 kilometers per hour, is it true?" Kurata asked, admiring the sleek chassis of the vehicle. Derricks nodded, "Yeah, sometimes even exceeding the top speed."

The young driver noticed his commander staring at them, "What do you need sir?"

"Nothing. Just checking on you guys. I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight then sir."

* * *

I crawled into my tent and lay down on my sleeping bag. I hummed a little and stared at green ceiling of my tent before finally closing my eyes.

A bright light woke me up, I scratched my eyes before seeing things clearly. An orange light can be seen behind the fabric wall of my tent. I glanced at my watch, **0100.**

I slid myself out of my sleeping bag and peeked out of the tent.

I don't know if I'm imagining something or still dreaming, hovering above the forest is a giant red dragon, where the elf village is...

"The hell." Lieutenant Douglas muttered, it was his first time seeing a huge dragon, it's way bigger than the wyverns they've previously encountered.

Lieutenant Youji came beside him, staring at the dragon too.

"Katsuo should we engage it?" Tomita asked.

He wished he could intervene, but they don't have any weaponry that could go against dragons, and imagine the thickness of its shell. "We'll stand down for now, we don't have enough firepower to engage it. We'll immediately move out at dawn."

As soon as the sun rose in the horizon, they packed up their things and head for the forest, or what remains of it.

The village was now a charred wasteland, full of dead trees and burned debris. They stopped in front of a ruined wooden gateway.

Beyond the gateway is the ruined remains of the Elven village. "Look around for any survivors." Everyone got out of their vehicles except for the APC crewmen. Death and destruction were the only things remained in the village, burned corpses. The only thing that's still standing is a water well built of rocks.

"Hmm...Crisp." Hoefler said, inspecting a burned corpses crushed under the rubble of a house. Neville found an incredibly disturbing find, what seems to be the charred carcasses of an elf mother hugging her child lay on the ground. He felt sick in his stomach, but his unit leader, Sergeant Tanner was unfazed by the sights of devastation.

Katsuo leaned on the well and sighed, "Katsuo, you okay?"

"We failed to protect the village, with barely any survivors."

"It's not our fault, we stand little chance against the dragon if we ever tried fighting it. And we haven't check all the areas, there may be some survivors." Youji faced down, and down below was what they desired. A survivor, a man was floating on the water.

"A survivor! There's a survivor in the well!" Katsuo yelled to all of them.

"Get the cables!" He ordered to the APC commander.

"I'm going down." The Lieutenant himself volunteered.

The APC reversed towards the well, ejecting its cables down the water well. Katsuo rappelled down and opened his light-mount, and upon closer look, the man is wearing leather armor, with burns penetrating it, and there were gashes on the man's arms. He checked the pulse, none.

"Youji, status of the survivor?" asked Tanner from above.

"Shit he's dead." He was losing hope when he noticed someone under the dead man. He moved him aside and beneath him is a young elf girl. "Wait there's another survivor here!" He analyzed her breathing, still active. "Hoist me up! "He grabbed the rope as the APC lifted the rope upward.

Neville and Tanner helped him up from the well, with a elf girl on his back. Kurokawa and Payne brought a stretcher to them and placed to girl on it. They loaded her into the ARV.

"Please give us some privacy first." Kurokawa informed Tomita and Jeffers, both nodded and went out of the vehicle. Amelia opened her medkit and began her checkup on the elf.

* * *

"An elf! This is our first time seeing an elf!" Kurata was so excited at this moment, with a wide smile on his face.

"Shush!" Kuribayashi was getting annoyed with his over-reaction on their first time seeing an elf.

Tomita and Jeffers went to help Katsumoto lift up the body of the male elf with a harness.

"We've searched the whole area, no other survivors." Hoefler reported to Sergeant Tanner.

"Damn...we have to get back to the village. We have no idea where the dragon is now." He walked back to the ARV to check on the condition of the elf.

"Amelia, status on the elf?" He asked.

"She's in stable condition now sir. Her body temperature is returning to normal level."

Tanner smiled, "Great, we should bring her along us. Since her home is wiped out by the dragon, she'll need a new place to stay."

Before leaving, they gave a proper burial for the man.

"All units, we're going back to Coda village. Return to your vehicles." Youji said in his radio.

* * *

 **Coda Village**

Katsuo along with Douglas quickly got out of their vehicle when they arrived at the village. They found the village chief talking with a crowd of villagers.

The villagers took notice of their arrival, greeting them with overjoy of their return.

"We're all glad with your warm welcome, but we got some _really_ bad news. We've spotted a dragon 10 kilometers away from your village, and that means you'll have to evacuate from this place as soon as possible. We don't know if the dragon could stumble upon here or not, but it's better safe than sorry."

The villagers were shocked, they heard from the news from elves previously that the dragon's hibernation cycle has not even ended yet. With the dragon actively roaming around Falmart, they'll have to go somewhere safe, where they'll be protected.

The villagers hastily gathered all their belongings that they could carry, leaving their homes behind for a refuge from the dragon.

Private Neville and Cpl. Jeffers watched the villagers carrying their possessions into their carriages. There was a middle-aged couple arguing whether they should leave behind a box of possessions, which the wife wants to keep, while the husband keep insisting that the load's too heavy.

There were children loaded unto the backs of the carriage, others were rather sad due to them leaving their homes, where they had so much fun, while some kids were confused of the situation. Some elders were somewhat persistent on leaving their village, where they worked hard to build all of this. They feared that the dragon may burn down their houses.

Unexpectedly, they heard the noise of a helicopter's propeller, they looked up at the sky and saw a heavy-cargo helicopter. And surprisingly, it's carrying a battle tank. A Challenger 6 MBT, armed with a 180mm smoothbore gun and upgraded with better armor plates and active protection systems than its predecessors.

"3rd Recon Team, we're dropping down TurtleBack-1F. Stay clear of drop zone."

"Acknowledged, thanks for the hint." He approached the battle tank, they were surprised that the Command gave them a battle tank instead of a light tank or IFV. But it was better since it has the firepower enough to at least deter a dragon, better than their HMGs and autocannons they previously had.

"Woah a Challenger main battle tank!" Kurata excitedly shouted.

The hatch opened up, the commander climbed out of it and waved at the soldiers and villagers. He stepped down the turret and gave a brief salute to the unit leaders.

"You two must be Lieutenant Youji and Sergeant Tanner. I'm Staff Sergeant MacCormack, commander of TurtleBack-1F. Splendid to meet you." The gunner followed him and hopped down the turret.

"And this is Sergeant Clarkson, our gunner. This is our loader, Specialist Hicks." He referred to the guy sitting on top of the turret. "And our driver, Corporal Ryan MacCormack."

"You two are brothers?" Lt. Youji asked. The commander nodded, "Yep, he's my younger brother, the youngest of us brothers is part of the Parachute Regiment."

* * *

The villagers looked at the tank with fascination. It was something new other than the trucks. It was similar to the APC they saw yesterday, but this carriage has a large rod sticking out of it.

The chief approached the 1st Lieutenant, "We're ready to go."

"Wonderful sir, but do you have any suggestions on where to go?"

The village chief pondered for a while and spoke to Lieutenant Youji, "There's a town nearby Italica. That's where we're planning to go."

Katsuo nodded, "Alright."

After everyone's finished, they departed for the town the village chief recently suggested.

After an hour of traversing a plain, they suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter? Why did we stop?" He opened the front hatch of the APC to see what's going on. Youji and Kurata stepped out of their truck and were looking at something, their weapons on their arms.

"Hey what's going on?" Tanner yelled. The vehicles in front of him still won't move. He finally have to step out to see what's going on in the front.

Katsuo and Shichiro were talking with a little girl wearing black Gothic-style dress with red laces and blacks stockings, topped with a red ribbon on her black hair. A circle of villagers were around her, bowing to the girl, some were even praying. "Great Oracle! Great Oracle!" The villagers chanted.

"So they're fleeing their village from a fire dragon. That's odd, the dragon woke up so early. So you are the green men I heard from bandits and villagers alike." She gave a sly smile. She then looked at their truck. "A horseless carriage... How does this move?" Her smile still on her face, making Katsuo uncomfortable. So he went back to his truck. The girl peered into his window. "The villagers said it was very comfortable. I would like to ride in it too." Quickly, she opened the door and sat on Katsuo's lap. Her actions startled him, and made him further feel awkward.

"Please seat in the back miss!" It took 5 minutes before the stubborn girl finally complied to sit in the back, along the unconscious elf. The front carriages finally move, in which Tanner went back to his APC.

* * *

They continued their travel, now traversing in desert plains, the light trucks and APC were in the front to guard the long line of carriages while the ARV and MBT stayed behind to not slow down the caravan, despite the Challenger 6 having a fast traverse speed.

The convoy from a far distance, looked like a giant caterpillar crawling in the desert.

"Sergeant Richthofen, these are the Recon teams right?" The British Lieutenant watched the convoy as Friedhelm replied, "Yes sir."

"We'll meet them up down there, tell everyone to began mobili- Hold up." He spotted a large silhouette in the sky. He peeked though his rangefinder. A large, red dragon hovering up in the sky, chewing up a wyvern in its mouth.

"Fire Dragon spotted, 400 meters, approaching the convoy. Screw that previous plan, tell the IFV to move down and support them, move up the _Panzer!_ "

* * *

"The sun's a lot hotter today." He looked up the sky, a giant dragon suddenly popped out of a giant rock formation. It attacked the center of the caravan, burning the carriages, along with the horses and villagers alive. Carriages were being smashed by the feet and tail of the dragon.

He could hear the painful screams of the villagers as they were burned alive. They have to do something before the casualties could increase more.

"ARV, fire that GMG! Distract him!" He ordered. The ARV fired its automatic grenade launcher at dragon, but did barely any damage.

Lieutenant Tanner and his platoon watched in fear as the dragon wrecked havoc on the convoy.

"TurtleBack-1F, where the hell are you?!" Tanner frantically shouted into his radio comm.

"We're coming closer, suppress it as much as you can!" The commander shouted back.

"IMVs fire your 50. calibers! All vehicles distract it away from the civilians! Go!" The vehicles swiftly sped around the dragon, firing their armaments at the dragon.

The dragon turned its attention towards the armored vehicles, it took a deep breath and released another spew of fire. The surviving carriages scrambled around to escape the fire-breathing dragon. One carriage's horse panicked and dashed around in a zigzag pattern, almost crashing into one of the IMVs.

Guiraldo muttered a curse word in his language, "... _Ginagawa mo_?!" He reversed and resumed to dodge the breath of fire.

"Loader, Sabot, target that dragon's chest!" Sgt. MacCormack shouted.

"Sabot loaded! Ready to fire!"

He peered through his rangefinder, trying to set the right range. When he got the right setting, he gave the order. "Away!"

The 180mm gun fired its shell at the dragon, denting the thick shell of the dragon.

"It did little damage! Reload another Sabot."

"Gunner, use that ATGM!" Hoefler yelled to the IMV gunner as he fired his rifle from his seat.

The machine gunner switched to the mounted missile launcher, he looked back to make sure nobody's in the way of the backblast, then peeked through the sight. He was unable to use the thermal sight with all the fire its breathing out. "Can't target sir!"

The dragon hovered up in the air, its large, heavy wings waving.

"Switch to manual-fire!"

He toggled the manual-guidance sights, aimed for the chest, trying to hit its vital area. He pressed the trigger, launching the missile.

The lolita girl kicked the backdoor open, Tomita tried to stop her but she swiftly jumped up to the roof, then ran towards the dragon in a speed uncommon for such a young girl to have.

The firedragon drifted to the right, making the missile out of its target's way. "Dangit, it's going to miss!"

The Oracle leaped, slamming her halberd at the ground, the strong impact was enough to knock the dragon off balance. At the same time, the dragon managed to re-align with the missile. The 150mm warhead knocked the firedragon back.

"Warhead confirmed hit!" Shouted the gunner. The vehicles continued their firestorm against the dragon, 40mm grenades, 50. caliber rounds, and 180mm shells were used against it.

But it only made it angrier, its mouth heat up, about to launch another breath of fire at them.

A loud whistling noise pass through them, a projectile managed to hit the dragon in the right arm.

The dust cleared, and its arm's gone. The dragon roared in pain, echoing throughout the desert plains. It flapped its wings and turned around, finally retreating.

The soldiers and the villagers cheered at their victory, but stopped shortly. As it was one with a cost. The dragon left with chaos and deaths of innocent lives.

It's late afternoon, and the sun was starting set. The soldiers helped the villagers buried their dead, then prayed to whatever deity they worshiped to.

In the horizon, they saw a file of vehicles, sand dust trailing behind them. The vehicles stopped right in front of them. A BPMD infantry-fighting vehicle, A Lynx IMV, and a KriegPanther III main battle tank.

Four men stepped out of the IMV, their faces covered with combat goggles and scarves. Except for the IMV gunner in a green, Altyn-style helmet.

"3rd Recon Team and 4th Deep Recon Platoon right? I'm Lieutenant Kingsley, leader of 8th Special Operations Platoon. SunRay-1 wants me to check if all members of the teams are here." The man had a deep British accent. He took out a datapad and started counting. He could see 1st Lieutenant Youji and Lieutenant Douglas. So he checked for the two of them, then counted the rest.

"Everyone's here. Lieutenant Youji, what should we do with the refugees? I wanna hear your thoughts on this."

"The majority of the villagers will go to a town near Italica. A small portion will be brought back with-."

"We're having refugees?" Richthofen asked, highly against their decision. "You know how we're prohibited to take them in."

"What?! Is this true sir?" The medic, Pvt. Amelia asked him in shock.

He hesitated, but spoke anyway, "Yes, Friedhelm is correct. We transport refugees, not accept them."

"We can't just leave them here!" Lt. Tanner said, and an argument was about to ignite. Just before the villager leader spoke to them, confused at their conversation.

"Excuse me, but we really got to go. Thank you all very much for your efforts."

They waved the villagers goodbye.

"Farewell!"

"See you next time!"

The villagers waved back in their carriages, reciprocating their farewells as they departed off to their refuge.

The soldiers, especially the young ones smiled. It was their first successful task in the Special Region. Despite suffering losses, they managed to protect the majority from harm.

Small purple orbs appeared from the ground and slowly rose up to the sky. It was a beautiful sight, the first time they see this.

"Lieutenant Youji, SunRay-1 checking on us to see if we're returning. You and your team ready?" Lieutenant Kingston asked. Katsuo he slung his rifle to his back and nodded.

* * *

I opened my eyes, I was back at my room, relaxing at my bed. I then noticed a orange light from the window in the other side of my room. I stood up, and walked towards it. The nearer I get to the window, the warmer the temperature gets. It soon turned very hot in here, I wiped some drips of sweat on my forehead. I was finally at the window.

Everything was on fire, burned bodies littered throughout the ground, some were still alive and screamed in agony.

My mouth was left open as I watched my home and friends burning. I saw my father waving at me, he's still alive! He's shouting at me, but I can't seem to hear him. I shouted back, hoping he could hear me. He looked to the left, only to be engulfed in flames. I could not speak, I could not scream, I can't even move from my spot.

A shadow loomed over the ground, I looked up to see a giant red dragon. I was thinking of hiding, but it's too late, the it's huge yellow eyes are already gazing at me.

It opened its mouth, the dark abyss inside lit up a bright orange light. Flame come out of it as it nearly overwhelmed me, then I woke up. My breathing's heavy, and sweating as well.

I woke up lying down, covered by a blanket. I noticed a person in green clothing beside me, appeared to be a female. She had a white armband with a red cross engraved on it around her left arm. Her expression was of surprise, but quickly turned into a smile. She took off her helmet, revealing her long, black hair. "Good morning." She greeted.

"Good morning. How long have I been sleeping?" I asked her.

"More than 12 hours, you haven't eat for a while." She took out something from one of her pockets, "Here, sorry it's the only food we got now." She teared it's 'shell' before extending it to me.

I took it and ripped a bite from it, I don't always eat something that's peculiar to my view but with the pangs of hunger I feel in my stomach, I instantly munched on it. Not bad, barely any taste but it did reduce the displeasure in my stomach.

"Thanks." Was the only thing I muttered. Only now did I realized that we're in a tight grey room, and we're moving. A small rectangular hole in the wall ahead of us opened.

"Ah good you're awake." A man peeked his head out of the hole.

"Where am I?" I asked them.

"We're approaching Alnus Hill." There was a slight bump, and a small feeling as if the room tilted down. I sat up supported by my arms, I glanced around and saw two small windows on both sides of the room. We must be in some sort of weird carriage.

* * *

The carriage stopped to a halt, the door behind them opened. Another girl with a caduceus armband on her left arm helped her out of the carriage. They guide her though the place, there were several infrastructures and buildings that were new to her, they walked around the base until they brought her to a tent, where they ushered her to a seat. The two girls took some chairs and sat down as well.

The tent was very quiet until she spoke, "Sorry but I forgot to ask your name."

"I'm Atsuma Kurokawa, medic of Third Recon Team. And this is Amelia, Medic of 4th Deep Recon Platoon. And you are?"

"I'm Tuka Marceau."

The man she saw previously came into the tent along with another person. The person had a peaked-cap and carried a briefcase.

He placed the briefcase on the table in the center, opened it and took out sheets of papers.

"I'm Inquisitor Faulkner, I'm here just to ask a set of questions. If it's okay?" The Officer asked her.

She nodded, "Great, let's start right away." He looked at the papers and began his first question.

"What is your name?"

"Tuka Luna Marceau." The Inquisitor muttered while writing it down, _Surname sounds French..._

"Alright, second question. Where do you come from?"

"I live in the village of Kowan, located in the Koan Forest."

His expression turned solemn, "Ah...The elf village that was previously burnt down right? My dearest condolences. Next, how old are you?" The Inquisitor heard reports of Elves living up to 300 years old, or possibly immortal, and he wanted to confirm it.

"165 years old." The two girls gasped in shocked, but the Inquisitor remained unaltered.

"Okay...Last question. Can you tell me what exactly happened in the village during the attack of the Flame Dragon?"

"Officer, I do not recommend on letting people look back at the such 'fresh' tragedies." Sergeant Tanner spoke.

"We need more details on the attack, perhaps we could know more info about the Dragon. If it's okay to know." The Inquisitor still insisted.

Tuka hesitated, but took a deep breath and complied, "Okay."

* * *

I was relaxing on my bed, humming the tune of the song my mother sang to me during when I was a child. It was always my favorite song, the gentle tune, the beautiful meaning of the lyrics, it was a gre-

My thoughts were interrupted as my father and my cousin barged into my room. They were hasty, something's not right.

"What's going on?" I softly asked.

"Your brother spotted a dragon coming towards our village. Hurry, we must evacuate as quickly as we can." Cousin Elwyn helped me gather as many things we could in a sack. He then went out along with the sack. My father held my hand as we ran out of the house, crossing the bridge, then running down the sloped wooden stairway of the tree. My cousin was holding our sister with the sack on his back.

A horn was played as a giant shadow covered our village. A dragon flew in the sky, coming fast towards our village.

"Quick! Quick!" My dad shouted as we started sprinting, on our way, we met Eldred, my father's friend and second-in-command of the village guard. He was carrying his short sword, along with his leather armor worn.

"Hodor! Glad I managed to find you and your family. I know a short way out of the village, quick!" We followed him to another clearing of the village.

I looked back and saw the Dragon unleashing its flames already. Archers released their arrows on it, spellcasters used their attack spells on the dragon, but it was useless against the dragon's thick shell. Everyone tried to fight back, but were only to be incinerated by the flames. The village guards were quickly lowering in numbers. Most decided to retreat.

The dragon looked on our direction, and released another breath of fury. A tree was knocked out by the fire, landing between me, Eldred, and my father and cousin.

"Tuka! Are you okay?" My father yelled from the other side.

"Yeah! We'll try to find another way." I shouted back.

Eldred and I searched for a path around the fallen tree. He finally found a small gap between the tree and a house. We crossed the gap and managed to meet back with them.

The the dragon roared, and sent another breath of fire. Suddenly, Eldred took a tight hold of me as we fell down a well, but the fire managed to reach and burn Eldred's back. I could hear my father yelling my name as we're falling down the water well.

I felt a strong splash as we landed on the water, then my vision went black.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Information:**

 **[1] The Challenger 6 is a British MBT used by the Britain, CoN, and most of the Commonwealth nations.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Challenger 6**

 **Type: MBT**

 **Country of origin: Great Britain**

 **Manufacturers: BAE systems & Royal Armored Armaments(fictional)**

 **Users:**

 **Great Britain**

 **CoN**

 **Australia**

 **Philippines**

 **New Zealand**

 **Rhodesia**

 **Canada**

 **Singapore**

 **Other Commonwealth nations too long to be mentioned**

 **Main Armament: 180mm Smoothbore gun**

 **Secondary Armament: 2x 7.62mm HMG remote turret**

 **1x coaxial 12mm HMG**

 **Speed: 81 km/h**

 **Fuel capacity: 1200 litres**

 **Operational range: 1000 kilometers**

 **Crew: 4-5(Driver, Gunner, Commander, Loader, optional Rear gunner)**

 **[2] The BPDM** **is the CoN's independently license-produced variant of the BMP-9.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: BPMD-1 or** **Бронированная пехотная машина поддержки (Bronirovannaya Pekhotnaya Mashina Podderzhki)**

 **Type: IFV**

 **Country of origin: Russia**

 **Manufacturer: C.S.R.D & KurganmashZavod**

 **User: CoN**

 **Main Armament: 1x twin-barreled 35mm autocannon**

 **Secondary Armament: 1x coaxial 12mm HMG**

 **2x ATGM launcher pods**

 **Speed: 88 km/h**

 **Fuel capacity: 1000 liters**

 **Operational range: 800 kilometers**

 **Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)**

 **Passenger load: 6**

 **[3] The KampfPanzer I. KriegPanther(War Panther) III is one of the main battle tanks used by the Coalition and the Germany Army. It was distinguished for its rear machine gun remote turret, similar to the Challenger 6' optional rear HMG turret. The third variant of the KriegPanther series, it was planned to be partially replaced by the KriegPanther IV and T-85 in 2089 along with the KriegPanther II.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: KpfPz. I KriegPanther III**

 **Type: MBT**

 **Country of origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturers: C.S.R.D. & OverEye Industries (German Division)**

 **Users:**

 **CoN**

 **Germany**

 **Austria(small amount of them)**

 **Spain**

 **Main Armament: 152mm Smoothbore Gun**

 **Secondary Armament: 2x Mg60 remote turret**

 **1x coaxial Mg48 12mm HMG**

 **Speed: 84 km/h**

 **Fuel capacity: 850 liters**

 **Operational range: 600 kilometers**

 **Crew: 5 (Driver, Gunner, Commander, Loader, Rear gunner)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Please note that the tanks here are older variants, will be used by both factions, especially the UIA. I sort of followed how the JSDF in the original manga used older equipment like Type-74 MBTs and Type-60 recoilless gun tank destroyers to prevent newer equipment from being captured and study by the enemy. But I may include sets of armored vehicles that are considered 'new' in the standards of 2085. All events in here are completely fictional, and if were to happen is to be regarded as completely coincidental.**

* * *

"Imperial reinforcements for your armies will arrive tomorrow. However, the Emperor advised that three of your legions are to be deployed today." The Imperial messenger said while spreading out the map of the base.

"Where did you get a map of the enemy's camp?" Asked King Duran, leader of the Elbe vassal state.

"Our scouts managed to find a vantage point to sketch out at least the simple detail of the ma-"

"So wait, if your scouts found a viewpoint high enough, couldn't we just use our archers, onagers, and catapultae to attack the enemy?" Asked one of the vassal leaders, King Otho of Alguna cut in on the messenger's briefing.

"...We do have artillery posted up there." _These damn kings,_ "They'll support you in your assault on the camp."

"Anything else?" Asked Duran.

"That's all sir." He bowed and went out of the tent. He could hear the generals' and kings' loud voices, boasting on who's going to the frontlines. He shook his head in pity, _Arrogant fools going to get slaughtered_. He climbed onto his horse, and rode off to his camp away from the allied armies' base.

* * *

"Forward!" King Otho's second-in-command shouted as their Cornicen played the bugle. The cavalrymen moved forward.

King Otho's legion followed first, then King Avilius', then Duke Ligu's the last. Auxiliary troops along with standard troops, cavalrymen, all marched towards the military outpost. And artillery, as promised by the messenger, is on top of a mountain overwatching the camp.

They could now see the enemy camp's tall walls, with taller watchtowers standing behind the wall.

Alguna signalled his troops to stop. "What is it sir?" Asked his second-in-command. The King heard a low whistling, his assistant hearing it as well. The whistle became louder and louder. Like something's falling down.

Rapidly, King Otho and his men were instantly torn to pieces by the explosions. Duke Ligu and his troops panicked, and scattered trying to avoid the artillery. King Avilius and his legion did the same.

Avilius, king of Mudwan, rode his horse trying to regroup with Duke Ligu. A blast hit the ground near him, hurling small shraphnel towards him. He was fortunately unharmed, but his horse suffered several hits from the fragmentation. His horse fell down along with him.

He was dizzy from the fall, and he's eyes were probably damaged from the blast. He could hear his adjutant calling him, he then felt someone carrying him up.

His Adjutant carried him to a large boulder as cover, where survivors of Ligu's and his legions were taking cover.

The enemy began firing their rods at anyone who didn't take cover. Several bursts of lightning-like bolts destroyed their cavalry, the Auxiliary troops were being decimated as well.

The archers tried to fight back but were eliminated by a large thing flying over them, it had a fat, long body, two large blades rotating on both sides of it. A long rod attached under the front 'nose'.

"SunRay-1, this is Vulture-2, permission to continue wipeout." The pilot of the VTOL said.

"Permission granted Vulture-2."

The VTOL opened its rocket pods, launching a hail of rockets at a column of cavalrymen. Finishing the last of the cavalry, the only surviving troops of the first wave of Allied Armies were their standard troops and auxiliaries.

* * *

The SPGs fired their final artillery barrage. Waiting for further orders from the commander. The SPG platoon leader contacted the Commander, "SunRay-1, this is 4th Armored Artillery Platoon. Continue arty strike?"

"Affirmative lieutenant, HE, consecutive-6!"

The SPGs raised their 300mm artillery guns again, firing another set of artillery strikes.

We've been taking cover behind this boulder for more than 5 minutes, and there, the explosions stopped.

One of our archers peeked over the boulder, trying to take a look at the situation ahead.

"No enemy activity sir." The archer's words gave them a chance to mount a charge at them.

"Troops, onward! Archers, take out any enemies that'll attempt to attack them." Ordered the only surviving king.

The archers took watch of the watchtowers while the footsoldiers brought in the hand-held battering rams. The soldiers approached the walls, they stepped back, and pushed the battering ram into the wall. To their surprise, it barely dented wall.

Just then, the archers were suddenly killed, the killers nowhere to be seen. There were no cuts, so it must be a ranged weapon, but it was not an arrow either. The archer's helmet had a large hole on it, the projectile that killed him was definitely launched at a very fast speed.

He noticed a long, black rod poking out of a watchtower, pointing at his men still at the walls.

"Get back here!" He shouted. Too late, as the machine gun began spraying bullets into his men, turning them into mangled pieces of flesh and armor fragments. The explosions came back, taking out unsuspecting soldiers.

The VTOL came back, attacking the survivors once again. The gunner fired its chaingun, strafing several standard and auxiliary troops.

"Where's our wyverns?!" The king of Mudwan shouted, a soldier pointed somewhere, "Sir..."

There lays the carcasses of wyverns and their riders, all bloodied and torn up.

The snipers took out the archers, removing the Allied Armies of their ranged units. The MG operators in the watchtowers turned their attention to the footsoldiers that were still running towards the wall, whose actions only made them easier to kill.

His men were already lost in the fighting spirit, just seating down, covering their ears from the loud gunfire and explosions.

One screamed and took his sword, running to the fray, only to be shot down in seconds. Another two followed, and died in the same fate.

Another explosion hit the ground, throwing something unto the dirt near him. He realized it was Duke Ligu's helmet, slightly burned and damaged areas. Duke Ligu's dead.

He dropped the helmet, he was then knocked away by a nearby explosion. Hitting his head on the boulder, breaking his skull and spinal cord.

"Sir." The scout brought back the damaged helmet of the Duke of League Principality. The assault was a fail, more than 9000 casualties, and only 79 survivors. The kings and dukes were shocked,

"Sir, 'someone' wants to meet you sir." Not someone, but something. A quad-rotor drone hovers in front of the tent, pointed with spears by the guards.

"What is that?" The king muttered.

The speaker of the drone spoke, fascinating the King and his men even more. "Greetings. I am here to negotiate a peace treaty with your kingdoms. We know that you're simply just vassal states of the Empire, not even that much in good terms with them. So we're giving you a chance to step aside, and pull back to your kingdoms. You don't want more men dead, don't you?"

Duran was rather furious, he's good friend Ligu and Avilius died, he drew his sword and tried to slash it to scrap. The drone's quick reflexes dodged his swing and flew away, back to the enemy camp. He grab a rock and threw it at the drone, still dodged his throw.

" _How foolish of me"_ , he thought, he let his irrational emotions get the best of him. He took a deep breath and went back to the tent.

"Ah, you're back. So who's the person that wanted to talk to you?" Asked King Tatius, leader of the Cilician Kingdom.

"A messenger from the people of the other side. They want a peace agreement."

"A peace offer? Decline it! They already killed three kings in battle, without even facing them! Corwards they are! Tomorrow, another assault we shall make!" King Tatius shouted, cheered by the generals and kings, except for Duran, he was beginning to regret being part of this.

* * *

Second day, the offensive was once again, a disaster, nothing but even more disastrous assault attempts on the enemy camp. Now only reduced to 2 legions, his' and King Tatius' legions.

"What now, Duran?" Asked the King of Cilicia, the enthusiastic mood now replaced with grim acceptance of hopelessness.

I pondered, hoping to come up with a strategy that could give them a chance to breach through the walls. They tried catapults, only dented it. They attempted to use firebrand projectiles, didn't work either. It's immune to fire and heavy weapons.

The two sets of assaults were conducted at daytime, making them easier to be spotted by the enemy, especially with the wide, open plains surrounding Alnus hill.

"What if we attack at night!" He suddenly proposed, startling the King Tatius and the camp prefect. "We could perhaps conduct a surprise attack on the enemy while most of them are asleep. Tatius, gather up your legions." Tatius nodded and went off to his legion's camp section. Duran turned his attention towards the prefect, "Call the mages, we'll be needing them." The camp prefect nodded and exited the tent.

The two legions marched off at night, determined to succeed in their assault. They remained quiet, and lightened their steps, to prevent easy detection by the enemy. King Duran was nervous too, just like his men. Do the enemy even sleep at night? What if they're watching them, far away in their metallic watchtowers? The enemy could attack them at anytime with their ranged weapons.

They were backed up by mages, along with artillery, and a small force of orcs and goblins.

The artillerymen carried their onagers and ballistas up to the hill previously mentioned by the Imperial messenger. It can provide them with a high wide of view to attack the enemy base. They carried the artillery equipment up the hill, but a carcass rolled down in front of them. Making them stop, the escorts guarding the artillery and their operators examined the corpse. They brough their torches and upon the light of the torch, they could see it was a dead Saderan scout. His light armor penetrated with several holes.

They heard several footsteps coming from the slope up ahead. The artillery group commander looked up to see several black figures walking around the hill, he heard whistles around him. He glanced around and his men were killed. The black figures have red, glowing eyes. Their tall stature added the intimidation factor enough to scare the experienced commander, who fought and killed giant beast with his artillery unit. He was shocked for his unit was killed instantly. He drop down in fear, and raised his hands up in surrender. Unexpectedly, he was butt-stroked by the shocktroopers' rifles and taken back to base.

* * *

They moved carefully through the plains, trying to remain undetected as they were now around 50 meters away from the outpost. Then, bright light came from the sky. A patrol plane flew by them, with searchlights pointing at their position. Now their positions are given away.

"Advance! Quick!" Shouted Tatius as his horse galloped. Duran did the same and trotted around the plains. Several front units were killed by artillery blasts, making the others scatter from their formations.

"Keep moving! Keep moving!" Duran yelled. Duran and Tatius' troops were quickly diminished in numbers as machine gun-fire came from the watchtowers.

"Mages advance swiftly! Archers will give you cover against the enemy!" Duran shoted his orders at them as they rapidly sprint for the walls. A few were gunned down by the MG fire. But thanks to their speedrun magic, a portion of the mages managed to move to a close distance to the wall. They cast up a 'dragon fire' spell, and released it onto the walls. The intense heat managed to melt down the steel wall, they were met by tall and bulky figures, with large guns gripped by their metallic arms. Legionaries were about to charge into the gap, only to be gunned down by the hulking troopers.

King Duran, on his horse, galloped from crater to crater, created by the artillery shells. More artillery shells hit down the earth around him, killing men and throwing dirt onto his adorned armor and cape.

His pace in reaching the walls was fast, but was cut short as his horse ran into a line of barbwire fences. He and his horse went flying down the dirt.

"My lord!" His adjutant said, coming alongside him and helping the king get up from the ground. "Shieldsmen, Testudo formation!" The shieldsmen lined up and formed a tortoise formation to protect the king.

More cracks of gunfire were heard by Duran. The shields were no use against the 12mm MG rounds, piercing them easily.

"Retreat! Reatreat!" Shouted Tatius behind a large hunk of rock. He's not on his horse, his steed probably dead too.

 _Now to think of it, where's my horse?_ The king of Elbe looked around for his horse, but was nowhere to be found. Like it got killed, or ran away.

The majority of his men were dead, including his adjutant, lying down on a small pool of blood. He crawled through the dirt, and stayed out of the sight of the patrol plane's searchlights by hiding in the blast craters and carcasses of his troops. The smell was extremely horrendous.

He was finally near Tatius' position. He heard the whistling again, and BLAST, he was thrown away by the shockforce of a nearby artillery shell.

* * *

He was awaken by the bright, shining sunlight. Morning already. His mind's a bit hazy. He moved his head around slowly, his torso buried under a pile of dirt. He heard heavy footsteps near him. He then saw them, large grey men traversing through the ruined plains. They were holding a large weapon that resembled a battering ram. But it had a long rod and a sophisticating design on it. He was pointing it at a wounded soldiers that survived the massacre last night, but his luck ran out shortly. It charged up a beam and fired the weapon, disintegrating the injured soldier.

His heart started pounding rapidly, the enemies are starting to execute survivors. Actually, most of them. Some soldiers in lighter armor patrolled around, a few of them called for medics and brought in stretchers to carry some surviving legionaries and officers.

"Lord Duran, psst. Over here." A voice whispered to him, he was then approached by a crawling man in brown cloak, camouflaging him with the dirt ground. "Don't dust off the dirt first, you'll need that to cover your move through the plains."

"Gotta patch your leg first, my lord." He pulled out a small bottle from his bag and poured it over the king's injured leg, then covered it up with a thick cloth.

The man crawled through the ground, hauling the injured king along him. They managed to evade enemy patrols and got into a forest. He carried him up his horse and hopped on after. They trotted in the forest. "We must get as far as we can away from the enemy camp."

"Who are you?" Duran asked, he didn't even know the man's name.

"I am Tullius Blaesius. I'm employed by King Tatius of Cicilia to escort you from hostile territories safely."

Hearing his fellow king's name relieved him, "So you know the King of Cilicia?"

The mercenary nodded, "Yes, we'll meet him at an Inn near the borders of your Fiefdom, sir."

* * *

"Colonel Yoshida, report on the assault?" asked General Takeshi, the commander of the JSDF forces in the Special Region.

"In the three series of assaults, there were more than 25,000 casualties and 115 captured of the Imperial Vassal states. While we suffered 35 wounded personnel."

"Thank you for the report, dismissed." After the departure of the Colonel, he resumed his observation over the sweep teams' operations. The incinerators were clearing the corpses off the areas while the 'cleaners' eliminated and captured anyone still alive.

The southwestern-sector walls were damaged by the mages, and were now in a process of repairing by the engineers.

"Sir." Colonel Yoshida called him from the door, "Lt. Tanner and Lt. Youji are here."

"Alright, let them in."

The two Recon unit leaders entered General Takeshi's office. "Good morning General." They greeted him with a salute, and he returned the salutations . "Good morning." They both sat down and the General began his mission briefing.

"Three days ago, your supposed mission of going to the town of Italica was postponed due to the three waves of assaults by the Saderan vassal states, is now to be resumed. Questions?"

"None sir."

"Then you may be dismissed, good luck."

Neville and Jeffers were standing at the bastions, watching the 'cleaner' teams cleaning out the mess left at the grounds. They heard talks about them before, but this was their first time seeing the cleaners in person. Their heavy, grey armor and imposing design of their helmet made them incredibly intimidating.

"Would be awesome to be in one of those rad-looking armor." Jeffers commented. Our platoon leader stepped out of the headquarters building and walked to where our vehicles were parked. He conversed with Hoefler on their mission.

"We're gonna be heading to Italica, along with 3rd Recon Team and 8th Spec-Ops Platoon. Is everyone ready?" Hoefler nodded, "Yes sir, everyone's got their gear."

"Then we'll hit the road in an hour."

After briefing his team of their mission, Katsuo decided to search for Douglas around the camp. He couldn't find him at the mess hall. So he checked his tent, no one inside it. He was planning on going to the armory, but he suddenly felt the urge to visit the toilet.

Lieutenant Douglas was behind a public toilet building, peeking over the wall. He saw Amelia with a Coalition soldier. They were conversing about something. He didn't like to be an eavesdropper, but this one overtook his interest.

From what he could hear, they're talking about the refugees they accepted three days ago. The man had a British accent. He had a peaked cap worn by Coalition unit leaders, but he could see the slight indication of him having blond hair. Clean shaven, with little trace of facial hair. The soldier ruffled her hair, messing it up a bit. They then part ways, Amelia going to the barracks, while the unknown soldier went to the motorpool.

"Douglas, there you are." Katsuo said, jogging towrds him. "Where you've been? I was looking for you."

"Just...strolling around."

"Okay, we're gonna leave for Italica in half an hour." Itami informed him. Itami finished his 'visit' to the lavatory, they returned to their units' location, currently in the refugee camp being established. It was seperated with the rest of the camp by a wall, a large emblem of the Coalition embedded on the gates of the wall. Two MP officers guarded the gates, allowing them into the refugee camp.

Sergeant Kuwahara was talking with the two mages from Coda village. A young, short girl with blue hair and an elderly man with the typical wizard hat.

"So you're going to Italica? We could sell these wyvern scales to the merchants there." She said, a large sack of scales slung on her shoulder.

"Then I guess you guys can accompany us to the town." Said Sergeant Hoefler as he put on his helmet and slung his G78 pulse rifle.

Due to the UN Allied Army being multinational, each soldier has their own firearms that are standardized by their nationality. The Americans having their M28A1 & AR-35 rifles, and M29 GPMGs. The Germans and Dutch with their G78 rifles, SG78K & G78L carbines and MG-83 LMG. The Japanese equipped with the Type-80 assault rifles, Type-78 carbine and Type-82L MG/SAW(Squad Automatic Weapon). The Filipinos were issued with mostly American, British and Italian weapons, but have their own indigenously-manufactured armaments such as the 10mm M-1 PDWs and SSM-70 Sniper rifles, thanks to their Self-Reliance Re-Armament Program in 2068. The French equipped with FI-M2 assault rifles and FAU-73 LMGs.

"20 minutes till we're departing." Said Lt. Tanner as he entered the AITV. Private Amelia was talking with Tuka, something about the Elf girl knowing a trustworthy merchant they could trade with in the town of Italica.

Tanner glanced at his wristwatch, **10:10.** This is taking too long, they're not doing much other than conversing and interacting with the Coda refugees. They're all prepared in their gear. So they could probably leave early.

"We're conducting an early departure. Get into your vehicles!" Lt. Tanner shouted as the engine of the APC roared once again. Everyone got into their respective vehicles.

The tall, reinforced metal gate opened. The Challenger 6 MBT drove out of the base first, followed by the other vehicles, on their way to Italica.

* * *

 **Special Region Camp, Romalia Mountains, Falmart**

The Romalia mountains, a mountain range located north of Italica and south of Crety. Various humanoids settled in the mountains and managed to grow communities during the past 9 decades, Elves and Dwarves having the largest number of settlements scattered around the range. Four weeks ago, the UIA established camps and recently, an airfield, on the plains and mountain slopes. Artillery and AA guns were positioned on the mountains, concealed by the dozens of trees. The camps were protected by the thick walls built with concrete and reinforced steel, and interconnected with each other via several passageways.

The main camp, Encampment-A, was where the Headquarters of the UIA Special Region Expedition is located, along with the Main Communications Center and temporary SCOG garrison. A comm officer entered the HQ, pacing to the meeting hall of the commanders. He knocked on the door, guarded by two MP officers. He spoke to the intercom, "Captain Accardo, scout reports from Recon Team-A6."

"Let him in." Accardo replied from the intercom. The officers opened the door for him, he walked into the meeting hall, a wide room with a long table used by the commanders and officers in their conferences and war-planning. Captain Accardo, Altoviti, and Major Simonides were in the balconey, spectating the wonderful view of the Romalia Mountains.

"Excuse me sir, here's the report."

"Yes, thank you very much." He placed the folder and was about to leave when the Captain spoke again, "Why don't you take a seat and have a drink? It surely is tiring to jog from the Comm-center to the HQ." He admitted it was indeed exhausting to ran a 2-kilometer way to the Headquarters, "Is it okay sir?"

"Of course, help yourselves to the refreshments." He's not into alcohol consumption, so he just grabbed a jug of ice-cold water and poured it into a cup. He chugged the water, it was refreshing.

"Thank you sir, but I've gotta go." He stood up, the Captain already opened the folder and was reading the reports.

"Thank you very much for the report officer, you may return."

* * *

I sat back onto my chair, checking further reports from recon units. Scouts were equally spread around the Special Region, some units were observing the Coalition & UN outposts located at Alnus hill, others were in Sadera, the capital of the dominant Empire, four groups were conducting recon operations around the border of Falmart, trying to discover new locations.

He glanced at an updated report from Scout Group-4, currently operating in areas around Italica and Rondel. The report stated that two UNAA platoons and one Coalition platoon is embarking towards the town of Italica.

A hand grasped my shoulder, the senior communication leader it was. "I would like to speak to you."

We went to his desk, he then pulled out a small brief case under the table. "I got some news for you. You're assigned to a Comm-Team that'll be transferred to Italica. You and your team will meet up with Recon Team-A2 in the northern entrance of the town. Command also decided to let me give you this." He tapped at the briefcase.

It wasn't just any briefcase, it's the Long-Range Compact Communications Kit-M2, a new model of the L-RCCK radio series. Incredibly lightweight, along with excellent, updated comms that could communicate with units at up to 70-80 kilometers of effective range. A grand possession a Comm-officer of the UIA could get. He stared at it before taking hold of it, he stroked his hand around the titanium casing that protects the inner equipment. Rough, but he liked the feeling of it.

"The Comm-Team is waiting for you now." Before leaving, they exchanged salutes.

He walked down to the exit of the Communications center. The team was already there when he opened the door. It was a fireteam of soldiers along with 3 Comm-officers in medieval clothing. Behind them, an AdA-3 transport-variant armored car.

"Corporal Abreu? I'm 2nd Lt. Specialist Albrechtsson, good to meet you. You're the RCCK holder right?" The lieutenant asked. Each Communications team in the frontlines always have one person that'll hold these radios. So he nodded.

"Hop on, Recon Team-A2's waiting for us at Italica."

We parked the armored car 50 meters away from the northern gates, covering it with bushes and leaves to prevent attraction from enemies and civilians alike.

Here we are, the Northern Gates of Italica. There were guards, but didn't mind letting us in due to our disguise. Our comm-team wore civilian clothing while the soldiers wore armor disguised as mercenaries. In all, we've disguised ourselves as a merchant caravan.

We walked past the leader of the guards in this sector. The guardsmen were few, about 4-5 men manned the gate. The Italica lost a lot of manpower due to the previous attack on Alnus hill. And the civilians suffered the consequences unfortunately. There was smoke rising from the Southern section of the town, looks like a battle is ongoing there.

"What's with the smoke sir?" A comm-officer asked.

"I don't know yet, perhaps we could ask the scouts later." The 2nd Lieutenant replied. We walked through an alley, a man was standing at one of the doors. He was wearing a brown tunic. He saw us and asked us a question, "Comm-Team 3?" 2nd Lt. Albrechtsson nodded.

"Recon Team-A2 is waiting for you." He opened the door, letting us into the house. The first room we walked into is the kitchen, a chef was cutting ingredients for a dish. We moved to the next room, the dining room, where a group of soldiers were chatting. One of them peered around to look at us, "Ah you're finally here. I'm Sergeant Haugen, leader of Recon team-A2. Come, sit here." We sat at the vacant chairs and began conversation with them.

"Let me introduce my squadmates, this is Corporal Esparza, our marksman." He gestured to the man munching on a bread. The _Rojigualda_ flag embedded on his left shoulder patch and the EVE unit-emblem on his vest.

"And this is Sergeant Espensen, Corporal Nogueira and Corporal Naess. Rifleman, combat medic, and autorifleman. " He referred to the three other men. "The others are doing scouting around the streets with Squad-1."

"I'm 2nd Lieutenant Specialist Albrechtsson. My teammates Corporal Stigsson, Leifsson, and Private Dahlman. And our 3 communications officers, Corporal Abreu, Senior Specialist Andreen and Asplund."

"If I may ask, what's with the smoke from the South?" Asplund asked them. "The town is being attacked by deserters, there's a small band of Imperial knights here to assist the militia that is the only defenders of the town."

"Shall we assist them?" Senior specialist Andreen suggested. Haugen shook his head as form of decline, "Can't do, UN and Coalition forces are fast approaching towards the South sector, let them do the work. A move like that would be enough to attract the UN's attention. We must fortify the Northern and Eastern sectors first. The 5th Pioneers Company will arrive and enforce the perimeter at 16:00." And here we wait out our whole afternoon at the house, the soldiers switched shifts in watching out for any suspicious individuals that could sabotage our presence in Italica.

* * *

 **Sorry guys for the long wait, hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Information:**

 **[1] 'Cleaner' and Incinerator teams are 6-men sized units that are tasked in disposing bodies and eliminating any hostile survivors after a battle. 3 men are in standard infantry gear, with gas masks to prevent air pollution from smoke and other unpleasant odors. The 3 other men are equipped with Heavy Infantry Combat-Assist Armor(shortened as HICA), specifically the Mark. III-H, specialized in protection against heat and energy-phased weaponry. To add more info, HICA suits are heavily-armored suits with an exoskeleton attached inside for the wearer, to add enhanced strength. The closest depiction would be the Power Armor in Fallout, but with an exoskeleton integrated within it. The Cleaners are equipped with Heavy plasma guns while Incinerators use flamethrowers.**

 **[2] M28A1 assault rifle is a pulse-directed assault rifle used by the US Armed forces and is one of the standard rifles of the US Army and Marine Corps.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: M28A1**

 **Type: Assault rifle**

 **Country of Origin: USA**

 **Manufacturer: United States National Ordnance Department(Fictional)**

 **Cartridge: Pulse-phased bolt**

 **Feed system: 80-bolts energy-containment pack**

 **Firemodes: Semi-Automatic, 3-bolt burst.**

 **[3] The AR-35 is one of the standard assault rifles, along with the M28, commonly used by the National Guard, Secret Service, US Navy & AirForce security personnel. It has another variant designated as AR-35H that is repurposed as a Battle rifle.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: ArmaLite Rifle-35**

 **Type: Assault Rifle**

 **Country of Origin: USA**

 **Manufacturer: Colt**

 **Cartridge: 12mm rifle round**

 **Feed system: 50-round box magazine**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, Semi-Automatic**

 **[4] The M29 General-Purpose Machine Gun is the standard Light Machine Gun of the US Armed Forces.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: M-29 GPMG**

 **Type: GPMG**

 **Country of Origin: USA**

 **Manufacturer: United States National Ordnance Department**

 **Cartridge: Plasma-phased bolt**

 **Feed system: 200-bolts energy-containment drum**

 **Firemode: Automatic**

 **[5] The G-78 assault rifle and its carbine-variant G78L are the standard infantry weapons of the German Army, Dutch Armed Forces, and Austrian Army.**

 **(G-78) Basic Information:**

 **Name: Gehewr-2078**

 **Type: Assault rifle**

 **Country of Origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch(German & Dutch) Österreichische WaffenFabriken(Austrian)**

 **Cartridge: Plasma-phased bolt**

 **Feed system: 50-bolts energy-containment pack**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, Semi-Automatic**

 **(G78) Basic Information:**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Gehewr-78L**

 **Type: Carbine**

 **Country of Origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch**

 **Cartridge: Plasma-phased bolt**

 **Feed system: 50-bolts energy-containment pack  
Firemodes: Semi-Automatic, 3-bolt burst**

 **[6] The SG-78K is the lighter-variant of the SG-87 Sniper rifle. Used by the Germany Armed Forces.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name:** **SchützenGewehr-2078 Kompakt**

 **Type: Marksman Rifle**

 **Country of Origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturer: OverEye Industries (German Division)**

 **Cartridge: 10mm rifle round**

 **Feed system: 25-rounds box magazine**

 **Firemode: Semi-automatic**

 **[7] The MG-83**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: MaschinenGehewr-2083**

 **Type: LMG**

 **Country of Origin: Germany**

 **Manufacturer:**

 **Cartridge: Plasma-phased bolt**

 **Feed system: 350-bolt energy-containment box**

 **Firemode: Automatic**

 **[8] Type-80 Assault rifle, standard weapon of the JSDF riflemen.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: Type-80 AR**

 **Type: Assault rifle**

 **Country of Origin: Japan**

 **Manufacturer: Howa**

 **Cartridge: 12mm rifle round**

 **Feed system: 40-round box magazine**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, Semi-automatic, 2-round burst**

 **[9] The M-1 PDW is created during the early years of the Self-Reliance Re-Armament Program by the Philippine government and Coalition defense advisors in 2068. Aguilar GunSmith Works and OverEye Industries were given the contract to create a personal defense weapon for Police officers, Presidential Security personnel, and armored vehicle & helicopter crewmen, in order to replace the ageing modified M-3 grease guns, MP7s and FN P90s. (The AFP used the P90 from 2029-2067)**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name:M-1**

 **Type: PDW**

 **Country of Origin: Philippines**

 **Manufacturer: Aguilar GSW and OverEye Industries**

 **Cartridge: 10mm pistol round**

 **Feed system: 40-round box magazine**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, 4-round burst**

 **[10] The SSM-70 is a Sniper rifle used by the Philippine Army, Marine Corps, Special Action Force, Special Reaction Unit, Scout Ranger Regiment, and Airborne Special Forces Regiment. Mass-production started during the 5-years long Self-Reliance Re-Armament Program of the Philippines.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: SharpShooter Model-70**

 **Type: Sniper Rifle**

 **Country of Origin: Philippines**

 **Manufacturer: Villalobo Marksman-Armaments**

 **Cartridge: 12mm rifle round**

 **Feed system: 30-round box magazine**

 **Firemode: Semi-automatic**

 **[11] The FI-M2 is the standard assault rifle of the French Army and French Foreign Legion. A successor of the FI-M1 assault rifle which was phased out in 2060.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: _Fusil Infanterie-Modele_ _2_**

 **Type: Assault Rifle**

 **Country of Origin: France**

 **Manufacturer: Gaul National Armory**

 **Cartridge: 10mm rifle round**

 **Feed system: 40-round box magazine**

 **Firemodes: Automatic, Semi-automatic, 3-round burst**

 **[12] The FAU-73 is the main light machinegun of the French Army.**

 **Basic Information:**

 **Name: _Fusil Automatique d' Unite-73_**

 **Type: LMG**

 **Country of Origin: France**

 **Manufacturer: Gaul National Heavy-Armory**

 **Cartridge: 10mm rifle round**

 **Feed system: 150-round drum magazine, 300-round drum magazine**

 **Firemode: Automatic**

 **[13] The rank series of Specialist is an enlisted rank in the UIAF (Not to be confused with the US Army rank of Specialist/SPC). Specialist ranks are typically obtained by infantrymen and combat officers that are chosen to be part of units with special tasks, like engineering, communications handling, and logistics.**

 **The Specialist ranks in Communications officers are:**

 **Specialist- Standard Comm-Officer.**

 **Corporal Specialist- Leads a 4-man Comm-Team behind the frontlines**

 **Senior Specialist- Same role as the Corporal but commands a Frontline Comm-Team**

 **Lieutenant Specialist- Commands a 6-man Comm-Team, or a Comm-Security Team.**

 **2nd Lieutenant Specialist- Same as Lieutenant.**

 **1st Lieutenant Specialist-Commands a Communications Platoon in the frontlines.**

 **[14] In Coalition military term, consecutive (a number more than 1) means to fire an artillery strike in the number implied by Command. Like consecutive-4, which means an SPG will fire 4 shells in succession. (I'm not so sure whether they used this command in actual SPG platoons, but please give me more info in case you know. Thank you in advance!)**


	10. Chapter 10: Siege of Italica

_**2069, America was once again, in a state of intense military production to support its allies in the war by sending equipment to the French and British Army. This would of course, deplete the nation's resources, manpower, and defense budget.**_

 _ **In 2070, America finally entered the war. American troops engaged their first combat at Clemont-Ferrand, France. The Americans, along with allied forces, were able to push UIA forces back to Toulouse and Limoges. But until Clemont-Ferrand was their assault halted by deeply-entrenched defenses of the UIAF in Toulouse and Limoges. America's entrance into the war compromised the UIA's attempts of forming a truce with the USA in order to improve relations with America and prevent American intervention.**_

 _ **The American war effort was restrained when UIA naval forces began their operations near the American coastlines, attacking ports and naval bases, harassing naval convoys embarking to Europe. In December, 2070, American Intelligence units reported UIA presence in South and Central America with unknown intentions.**_

 _ **February 27, 2071, America's involvement in the war was momentarily stalled, when five containers containing large quantities of Isotope P-7077, intended for biological warfare, detonated in San Francisco, Miami, Jacksonville, Portland, and Seattle, vaporizing half of the population of the cities. It was unconfirmed whether the UIA caused this, but there were no evidences. Furthermore, three containers of Isotope P-4653 ruptured in Tampa, San Jose, and Houston, infecting most of the civilians that managed to survived the blasts. The ill-fated events damaged the American economy and forced the government to withdraw 60% of its troops back to America to assist the National Guard in reinforcing order among the civilian population. March 1, 2070, the Emergency Containment Walls of the cities affected were raised up by criminal gangs and raiders that occupied the Wall-control stations. Preventing authorities from reaching into the cities without being targets by armed gangs fortified in the stations. Anarchy and crime was rampant on the streets of the ruined cities, with futile attempts of law enforcement.**_

 _ **Realizing that the US is temporarily crippled, UIA military forces took the advantage to deploy units in Central America and conduct clandestine operations inside North America, the most known unit being Task Force-148. 2071.**_

 _ **September 14, 2072, The National Guard and US Army managed to get past through Wall control station-Tampa, and began elimination of Infected in the area.**_

 _ **July 6, 2080, America mobilized its 5th Battalion and 24th Expeditionary Unit of the USMC to support its troops in Europe and Asia. And thus America rejoined the 19-year War.**_

* * *

 **Italica, Falmart**

We've been holding the South Gates for almost 2 hours, and still no backup. The deserters, from Imperial and vassal armies alike, decided to assault this town in a time like this. Insufficient manpower, lack of trained personnel, low morale. Just great.

I heard a small wooden thump, I turned around and saw a ladder put up in the battlements. The raiders are trying to climb up the walls. I pushed down the ladder, the raiders climbing it crashed down along with it.

Raiders at my left side tried the same method, but their ladders got pushed down by the militiamen and legionaries.

"Where are our reinforcements?!" Hamilton asked out of frustration. The raiders kept launching arrows at the battlements. One of our archers got hit in the eye within a second he peeked out of the walls.

"Severina and her Contubernium will arrive soon." An hour ago, she already sent a runner to alert their camp on the outskirts of Rondel. She estimated the time for back-up to arrive in two hours. We could certainly hold this gate by our own, but fearing that the bandits will return with more men and find another way to exploit our defenses. We'll need more troops to properly defend the town.

"The bandits are trying to break into the gate!" Norma shouted from below, ordering the men he's with to barricade the large gate. They placed furniture, crates and anything heavy they could carry to the gate.

"Get your polearms!" I ordered the spearmen to the gates. Norma climbed over the pile of furniture to slide open the small peepholes. At my orders, the spearmen began thrusting their sharp-tipped polearms into the holes. The thudding of the gates stopped. "Pour the tar!" I ordered to the men carrying the barrels of tar. Raiders that didn't step out of the barrels' way were buried under the hot tar.

"Archers, rain on them!" Along with the hot tar, the surviving bandits were struck down by volleys of arrows.

I peeked over the battlements, even though I could be struck by the arrows of the raiders. They're running the opposite direction, scattered in different directions.

"They're retreating!" An archer shouted, and the rest cheered. The cheering ended, and everyone sat down and took their rest. For everyone's exhausted after the assault.

"Are you okay Hamilton, Norma?" Princess Pina asked her comrades, she gave a thumbs up while Norma nodded. "I'll need a rest as well." She muttered as she went her way back to the palace.

The palace here wasn't really the grandeur residence palace in Sadera, but it was still an incredibly comfortable place to rest.

She sat down on the couch. The maid, Kaine's her name, placed down a tray of bread and soup. She took a piece of bread, not the tastiest bread, not like the ones from Telta. But her hunger managed to overwhelm her quality preferences. She finished the meal, and notified the servants of her plan in taking an afternoon nap.

* * *

She felt a splash over her body, she woke up from her nap. The bed's stained with cold water. Grey and Kaine stood in front of her. "Is there an attack?! Are they back?"

"No, but you'll have to see this." He was confused about the situation. Several gray and green carriages parked several meters away from the gate, all in various sizes and length. The bodies from the previous assault were already cleaned from the grounds by the militiamen.

They moved aside the furniture acting as barricades, then peeked at the gatehole. "What shall we do?" Hamilton asked.

"Who are you. If you're not our enemies then show yourselves!" Knight Norma Accutus shouted from the battlements.

A mage stepped down from the second carriage, followed by an elf, and...Rory Mercury, Apostle of Emroy!

"Rory Mercury?!" The princess exclaimed. "They're not with the bandits, are they?"

"I don't think so Princess. Maybe they heard of the previous siege attempted by the bandits, and decided to assist us?" They can't be sure. She peeked through the hole again, there were more that stepped out of their carriages. Men in green and gray clothes. Could this be the soldiers that came from the Gate? The men that destroyed their expeditionary legions in a single day?

Norma recognized them as well, and signalled the archers to prepare their bows.

"Maybe they're diplomats, seeking for peace." Said Grey. They didn't weld the black rods that the typical invaders from the Gate have. Or at least, not shown to be holding any.

One of the green men's walking alongside the Apostle. They're now in a desperate situation in defending this town. And now the men in gray and green are here. Maybe she could get them to side with her, for the sake of the defense of this town!

Without much rational thought, she took away the wooden block that locks the gate. She then pushed aside the wooden gate, "Welcome!" The three were staring at someone, a man in green uniform kneeling down, covering his nose in pain.

"My nose." He said, his voice muffled.

They brought him into the town, and laid him down in front of a crate. "Are you okay Katsuo?" The elf asked him with concern in her tone.

He scratched his head, "Yeah, I'm alright now." Only now did he realize Lt. Tanner's calling him from his radio. "Lieutenant Youji, are you okay? Please respond!"

"This is Lieutenant Katsuo Youji. We're fine. Just got a little pain in the face."

He heard the Douglas sigh, "That's a relief, we're almost gonna initiate a breach into the gates." He heard the Challenger MBT moving in the background.

"Douglas, move the vehicles to the eastern gate. I'll meet up with you guys over there."

"Are you the commander of the Men in Green and Gray?" The lady with red hair asked him. "The whole forces? No, I'm only a commander of a Recon Team." Youji replied, "You must be?"

"Princess Pina Co Lada." The princess introduced herself.

"So you're a Princess? I'm Katsuo Youji, First Lieutenant of the JSDF, and team leader of 3rd Recon Team." Katsuo stood up and put on his helmet. "Excuse me princess, but I gotta go now. I'll be needing to regroup with my team." They jog to the Eastern sector. They got there just in time to see the Challenger-6 battle tank entering the gates. The East gate was wide enough to park the 6 armored vehicles.

Kuwahara, Tanner, and Youji took up to the battlements and set up an observation post. 30 minutes later they were joined by 8th Spec-Ops Platoon, bringing a bundle of sandbags to create covers.

"Youji, time?" Lt. Tanner asked.

"15:49"

"Looks like scouts ahead of us, 500 meters." Kuwahara said, peeking through his binoculars. "Another scouting party, Southeast, 300 meters." Tanner said, two horsemen trotting by the treelines. As Kingston and Richthofen climbed up the battlements, a faint pop was heard.

"One's down." Kuwahara announced, the rider's fall was rather fast. The other horseman was aware, and started galloping away. He was soon shot in the back and fell down his horse too. "Track the source."

"Source found, sharpshooter, Northeast sector, 500 meters."

"Fireteam-B, stay here with Third Recon Team and 4th Recon Platoon. I'll go with my team to investigate." Kingston went down and met up with his fireteam, moving down into an alleyway and to the next street.

"Where are you going?" Kuwahara asked Katsuo as he walked down the battlements. "I'll accompany the civilians to the merchant, I'll be back in 10 minutes."

"We're acting as bait, aren't we?" Jeffers asked our squad leader. Lieutenant Tanner pondered for a while before nodding, "Likely, this sector's highly undefended. Only our platoon, 3rd Recon Team, half of the 8th Spec-Ops Platoon, and 5-6 armed civilians posing as gate-watchers. Let's just play along, we'll see what will turn out in this night."

The sun's starting to set. They equipped themselves of night-vision goggles, the usage of NVGs will be useful against night assaults.

Our marksman, Cpl. Barton, peeked through his rifle. "Activity on the South gate." They could see tracers of flame arrows raining over the gates. Guards were scrambling to their posts, swords unsheathed, polearms and war axes raised.

He held up his radio, "Lt. Youji, We've spotted movements in the Southern sector. Looks like another siege."

"I'm seeing it too."

"Shall we help them?"

"Not yet, maybe they could handle this assault."

"3rd Recon Team, this is SunRay-1, what's the status of your mission in Italica?"

"We've currently fortified ourselves in the Eastern Sector. Fireteam A went to investigate gunshots in the Northeast sector."

"Anything else?"

"Yes sir, there's currently an assault in the Southern Gate, shall we respond?" Kuwahara added in.

"You may respond to the assault, do not let the town fall under raiders' control. Assist the town defenders if you must."

"Thanks for the authorization SunRay-1. 3rd Recon Team, out."

"Breach on the Southern Gates, raiders are climbing over the battlements." Barton said. Through his scope, he could see the raiders fighting the militiamen. And the defenders' numbers at the walls are quickly depleting.

He switched the comm-channel to Lt. Youji. "Lieutenant Youji, Southern Gate is breached."

"Acknowledged, contact Fireteam A to meet me at the Market District." He asked one of the militiamen on the directions to the Market. "Straight through this street until you see the Market district sign." He gave him thanks and informed Fireteam-A of Youji's directive. "Tomita, Nishina, Kuribayashi, rendezvous with Lt. Youji at the Market District."

"We're gonna join in on the defense too. And the Inquisitor would like to have a chat with the Princess." Sergeant Richthofen said. Inquisitor Faulkner stood behind him, armed with a Pulse carbine. Kuwahara nodded to approve, "Alright, I'll stay here to ensure the defense of this sector. Good luck men."

Fireteam A of Recon-3 drove to the designated area to meet up with Katsuo. They saw the 1st Lieutenant speaking with the elf girl and young mage beside him.

"Lieutenant Youji!" Kuribayashi shouted from her seat, sticking her head out of the window. Katsuo saw them and waved. The light truck stopped in front of them. They got into the truck, with Tuka and Lelei in the back.

Tomita drove the truck into the next street, there they could see smoke rising from the Southern gate. Ahead of them stood a tall wall with a small passageway in it. A Coalition IMV parked beside the street. Their truck couldn't fit through the passage, so they disembarked out of the vehicle. They passed villagers pouring buckets of water to pour at the burning houses caused by the fire arrows.

On the way, Katsuo stopped Lelei and Tuka, "Why'd you stop?" Tuka asked. They were both confused, so Katsuo explained, "I'll need you two to remain here first. It's too dangerous over there. You could help the medics and civilians in tending the wounded." Lelei nodded without hesitation, but the Elf pondered for a while before nodding. "Alright." With the elf and mage now assigned to assist the civilians. Katsuo caught up to his teammates.

Sgt. Richthofen and Tomita were observing the situation ahead of them. Three bandits were dragging carcasses, this were probably the scouts the Princess sent an hour ago. Taunting the militiamen with their acts of defilement on the corpses. A tall man in heavy armor wielding a flail revealed himself out of the crowd. He swung his flail in front of him, preventing the defenders from attacking him.

"Big guy up ahead, he'll need to be one of our priority target."

They all stacked up, preparing to enter the Gate courtyard. "Are you all ready?" Lieutenant Youji asked. They all nodded. "Ready."

"Move in!" We walked through the passageway in a snake formation. After passing through the passageway, we split up. Fireteam B went to the battlement stairs to clear the upper area, while we took positions in the barricades alongside the town defenders.

The bandits stood there waiting for the defenders to attack.

"Lt. Youji, the apostle's coming towards your area. We tried chasing her but she managed to outrun us." Lt. Tanner notified him.

"Acknowledged, thanks for the info!" Youji responded. The bandits shouted their warcries, then suddenly charged at the wood log barricades. The defenders were surprised, those who didn't backed away from the barricades were impaled by spears. Fighting resumed, both sides clashed with each other.

"All units, fire at confirmed hostile targets. Pick your shots well." The JSDF and Coalition troops joined in on the battle. Fireteam B continued their assault on the battlements and Fireteam A of 3rd Recon team gave fire-support for the town defenders.

"Barton, take out those targets at the battlements, 900 meters." Tanner ordered to the marksman. Barton took out his rifle's magazine, check if it's loaded, then re-inserted it into the DMR. "Targets spotted, 900 meters." He shot his first target, a battle axe-wielding bandit.

"Battlement is secured!" Sgt. Richthofen said. They took cover in the walls and flanked the remaining bandits inside the walls.

Rory leaped over a house, and landed in front of the bandits. Bandits and militiamen backed off, recognizing her as an Apostle of Emroy.

Tomita aimed his rifle at the hulking bandit, but before he could press the trigger, the bandit moved away from his sight.

The large, armored bandit attempted to hit the Apostle with his flail, but received a chop from her halberd. The halberd's mysterious material was strong enough to pierce through his metallic helmet. Another giant bandit tried to attack her from behind with a battle axe, but was easily cut down by the Apostle.

The fall of their giant comrades surprised and lowered the morale of the bandits. Now desperate, they charged at the Apostle in an attempt to overwhelm her. She made a huge swing, hitting 5 bandits and knocking them back. She swung and swung, cutting down the bandits as Fireteam A gave her support.

Fireteam-B focused on the hostiles outside, they first took down the ladders that were used by the bandits. The fireteam was able to take out most of the outer targets, except for one area. A whole radius of men were protected by a barely visible forcefield. In the middle of it stood a Siren, whose magic forcefield is able to protect her comrades from the gunfire. Phased pulse slightly damaged the forcefield but the 12mm rounds easily bounced off.

"Forcefield spotted, 150 meters." Volkov shouted, aligning his eye with the GL sight. He scrutinized the forcefield, and found it was only cast in a single arc. He fired his underbarrel-grenade launcher. The explosion was powerful enough to disrupt the Siren in casting her shield.

"Forcefield eliminated." Volkov switched to his rifle sights again, picking out the outer targets that are lingering around the walls.

A green flare coming from the forest flew up the sky, "Sergeant Richthofen, this is 3rd Platoon of the Coalition of Nations, we're ready to engage the enemy. Air support will join in half a minute."

"Roger that 3rd Platoon, we'll need some extra firepower right here." The fireteams heard a whine coming from the sky, a silhouette of a light gunship flew towards their position. "CAS inbound, friendlies must vacate out of the outer walls." Fireteam B watched the VTOL gunship fire its chaingun turrets. It took a turn and strafed down a row of bandits. Down at the gate courtyard, Rory Mercury continued her rampage against the deserters, while Kuribayashi assisted the militia in melee combat, supported by Tomita and Katsuo who took out the bandits that tried to flank the Apostle.

The gunship strafed another line of bandits coupled with four unguided rockets. The bandit army's morale is now utterly depleted. The few bandits that tried to retreat were shot down by 3rd Platoon and Fireteam-B.

3rd Platoon advanced on the town gate, capturing the bandits that surrendered on the way. 300 meters away from the town, 4 Coalition transport VTOLS landed on the open field, the squads inside it disembarked and joined the 3rd Platoon on the assault, supported by Japanese Type-80 IFVs and UNAA APCs.

"Area is secured, thanks 3rd Platoon." Sergeant Richthofen informed the platoon leader. "Welcome, also, Raven-1's planning to meet with Officer Faulkner."

"Roger that, we'll escort him right now." He looked towards Lt. Katsuo, "Lieutenant Youji, this area's all yours now, 3rd Platoon will be coming in. We'll now head our way to the Town hall."

"Acknowledged Fireteam-B." He slung his rifle onto his back. The siege is finally over. The defenders and bandits both have heavy casualties. Unfortunately, civilian casualties were unable to avoided, 4 civilians died in the fires caused by the arrows.

"Lt. Katsuo, this is CoN 3rd Platoon leader. General Takeshi's arriving in 2 minutes. Secure the outer palace halls, Raven-1 already secured the inner sections."

"Thanks for the information, 3rd Platoon, 3rd Recon Team out." He switched his radio channel to Kuwahara, "Sergeant, meet me with your fireteam at the town palace."

"Alright Lieutenant, we'll meet you there."

The Town hall of Italica, also named as the Town Palace due to it's palatial design and size. Where the Count and important guests could arrange meetings and rest. A master bedroom for the Count and 5 bedrooms for visitors in the second floor. Beside the bedrooms is the Royal Court, where the Count and Countess would seat in their thrones, their assistant constantly beside them. That used to be it, the Count was killed in action during the Imperial Army's expedition to the Gate in Alnus. And the Countess died a decade ago. The children of the Count now rivaled each other in power, until they themselves were sent into the war, or killed in political conflicts. Now the only left is Count Myui, as the only successor to be alive, an eleven-year old girl.

"So she's the Countess.." Kuwahara whispered to Youji, who nodded in response. "Yep, she's the only legit heir to the throne."

Inquisition officer Faulkner was talking with the Count's Guardian. "The Southern Gate is secured, we're currently giving medical care for the wounded defenders."

The guardian nodded, "Thank you so much for the help. The town would've been overran by the brigands if it weren't for the Coalition's and United Nation's intervention. Unfortunately, we still have a problem." He placed his shoulder on Countess Myui, "The Countess is too young to rule yet, she'll have to be older than 18 to be allowed into the position of ruler."

The door opened, a Coalition enforcer entered and stepped aside the doors. General Takeshi and Lieutenant Colonel Cunningham came in, with Colonel Yoshida beside them

"Greetings, I'm General Takeshi. This is Lieutenant Cunningham and Colonel Yoshida. We're offering an offer to you that could greatly benefit this town."

He motioned them to the chairs. "I'm interest, please seat." They sat down and their working out of a deal began. "The Coalition and UN shall assume management of this town, and in exchange, we'll establish defenses in the town, and deploy law enforcement around the town. We'll also provide security for the routes and highways coming through Italica. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a wonderful proposal, but unfortunately, someone else already gave that proposition to us just two hours ago."

General Takeshi arched his eyebrows, "And who is it?"

"A group of armed men, similar to your army, called their organization the 'U-I-A'." Everyone except Faulkner were shocked when they hear the name of the Alliance spoken by the Countess' guardian. It confirmed him of the intel reports of UIA presence in the Special Region.

"The UIA?!" Sergeant Kuwahara exclaimed, The Sergeant Major had experience fighting against them during the battles of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. Most of the infantrymen he fought were Korean and Mongol conscripts.

"Yes, you hear it." Sergeant Richthofen said, "Our unit leader also alerted us of UIA infantry in the Northern sector."

"And our UAVs spotted UIA fortifications in the Eastern sector. Looks like they used the siege as an opportunity to fortify themselves in the town." Faulkner added.

"General Takeshi, sir, there are UIA troops at the Eastern sector. I repeat, UIA troops at East, shall we engage?" 3rd Platoon leader radioed in.

"Negative 3rd Platoon, do not engage." General Takeshi ordered his men to stand down, and Lt. Cunningham did the same.

They hear a loud voice outside, an armored truck with loudspeakers parked in the street connecting the Southern sector and the Northern sector. It was escorted by several soldiers taking cover behind the houses. The voice came from the speakers. "This is Captain Accardo, 1st Armored Infantry Company, 1st Expedition Battalion, of the Special Region Expeditionary Brigade. We do not wish to have another armed conflict, and I'm sure you're having the same idea. We are here simply to negotiate with the Countess."

The JSDF and UN troops lowered their firearms, letting the truck pass by with its escorts. The truck stopped in the entrance of the Palace courtyard. The backdoor opened, and stepped down were 3 men. Two SCOG operators and a man in officer fatigues. He wore a black beret and chest rig, but no handgun nor rifle carried with him.

The gatekeeper opened the gates, welcoming them in with a bow. They entered the palace and walked up the ornate staircase, a portrait of the previous Count of the Formal _gens_ hanging on the wall. The next room beyond the stairs is the Court, guarded by Grey, a centurion of the Rose Order.

"You must be the men the guardian is waiting for, you may enter." The officer stepped in, flanked by his bodyguards. Everyone in the court noticed him, he took a seat with the Cunningham, Takeshi, Faulkner and the Guardian.

Albus Acilius, a veteran of the Imperial Army, retired at the rank of _Pilus prior._ He then joined the Italica Guardsmen at the age of 41, quickly ranking into a Captain, he was then selected by Count Colt as the bodyguard of young Myui, daughter of the Count. After the Count's death, he was temporarily appointed with the title of Guardian, while Myui's sisters were competing with each other on the title of Guardianship. Armed with a fine _Spatha_ and _Pugio_ , he shall defend the Clan's only heir to the throne.

"You're back Captain Accardo, shall we start our talk?" Accardo nodded. General Takeshi glanced at Kuwahara and Youji, "Sgt. Kuwahara, Lieutenant Youji, you may now be dismissed." The two gave their salutes and walked out of the court.

Guardian Albus, Princess Pina, Legionary Hamilton, General Takeshi, Lieutenant Cunningham, Captain Accardo, and Officer Faulkner are now the only individuals left inside the court.

The Guardian spoke, "So I've heard that you two belong to factions that considered each other as adversaries." Referring to the JSDF General and UIAF captain.

"Since you two are enemies, and desire control of this town, why not split it into two side? The Southern and Western sector for the UN & Coalition, and the Northern and Eastern section for the UIA."

"The palace and town plaza could be the buffer zone." Faulkner suggested, they all agreed.

* * *

3rd Recon Team stayed in the Lounge room. Tomita was watching the scene outside, vehicles and troops were entering the Southern gate and cargo-VTOLs are transporting turret emplacements to the battlements. Kuribayashi, Nishina, and Kuwahara were cleaning their guns and bayonets.

Kurata was enthusiastic in interacting with the 'cat' maid Persia, Kurata was known in his unit for having a mania for _Nekomimi and Kemono_. Odd that she's named after an empire centered in what is currently Iran.

The door opened, General Takeshi and Lieutenant Cunningham walked out, followed by the enforcer. Third Recon Team saw them and gave the commanders a salute.

"3rd Recon Team report back at base in 4 hours, I'm in a hurry now with some important business."

Katsuo sat down on the couch again, "I'll need a good sleep back at the base."

The princess was about to go down the stairs when she heard someone calling him, "Greetings Princess...What is your name again?" It was the Inquisition officer, she felt nervous when she met the commanders, she feared that they'll hold her and her knights as prisoners of war, and be enslaved. Her trance was interrupted when Hamilton shouted, "You don't know her?! How dare you for not knowing the Princess of the Saderan Empire!"

"Princess I would recommend you in teaching your friend some manners. Consider it a good thing I could tolerate loudmouths and childish brats." Before he could reach the door, he heard the princess speaking, "I'm Princess Pina Co Lada." He glanced around, "Then it's a pleasant time meeting with you Princess Pina." Outside, he was greeted by SRAG operatives, who came to pick him up in an armored car.

 _Brats..._ She suddenly remembered the day she established the Rose Order. The nobles laughed at them, ridiculed them, called them a bunch of children playing soldiers. The day her Order was officially established as a military unit, serving as honor guards was not what she desired for this Order to be. And to add the annoyance that the generals and centurions her unit was considered as legionaries, despite her choice of calling themselves as knights or _equites_ , adapting it from the Anglo and _Teutones_ settlers. They experienced their first actual combat, and first casualty. She almost forgot about Norma... She shall prepare a proper burial ceremony for her comrade.

* * *

 _After the Siege of Italica, it is confirmed by recon reports that the UIA has established a base in the Northwestern regions of Falmart. What will follow is the grand expansion of the UIA across Falmart._

* * *

 **Kowan Village, Koan Forest**

Everything and everyone, burned to the ground. After splitting up with the rest of the survivors, now deserters actually, he hitched caravans passing by the Kowan forest. He couldn't believe what the merchants were saying about his village, it was truly burned down by a Dragon.

He spotted a green, horseless carriage with soldiers near the remains of the entrance of the village, this must be the army from the Alnus Gate. Their right shoulders have a patch with a flag, patterned in horizontal row of red, white, and blue. They were speaking in a language similar to a legionary he met in the Alnus camp, Aldhard was his name. He feared that they may shoot him on sight, especially with his armor still on him. He took it off, leaving him with his tunic and pants. He left his sword at the camp because of its weight.

He stepped out of the giant stump he was hiding behind, the soldiers noticed him and readied their weapons.

"Who are you?" The leader of the men asked him.

He's glad they could actually speak Anglish, "I'm here to visit the village." What remains of it.

They lowered their weapons, thankfully, "Ah, pardon for the inconvenience. The graveyard's just straight ahead." He thanked the unit leader and walked towards the graveyard.

He remembered his father telling him about the hibernation cycles of the dragons. He said it would take another 5 years for the dragons to wake up again from their slumber. But 2 years hasn't even passed yet.

The graveyard was more of a memorial, aesthetic decorations and gravestones lay around the ground.

He strolled around until he found a gravestone engraved with a name he recognized. **Eldred Altham.**

Next to it, **Aidan Luna Marceau.** His younger brother, died defending his family from the Fire Dragon. He knelt down and gave respects to them. He couldn't find the graves of his other relatives. So that means his sisters, father, and cousins may have survived the attack. Or they're bodies were unidentifiable. Or turned to ashes. He didn't want to have those ideas, but with his home destroyed, he couldn't stop the thoughts of his family likely wiped out in the fires.

He felt a rage within his heart, it was painful, and it was like an intense heat in his chest. He never felt one with a magnitude like this.

He took off to the city of mages, Rondel.

* * *

 **Sorry, once again, for the slow updates.**

 **NOTE: I'm gonna start adding some background lore in the beginning of a chapter, some may be connected to the specific chapter, some may not.**


	11. Chapter 11: The City of Rondel

**Response to review by ATP: Coincidentally, yes, railguns already in use by most superpowers' armed forces, but only in naval vessels and stationary turret emplacements. Railguns on armored vehicles are only in prototype phases yet.**

* * *

 **2053\. After initials reports of corruption in the International Relations Division and Logistics Management Division, the Supreme commander and the Main Commanders proposed an internal security detachment tasked in rooting out corruption, incompetence, spies, and traitors.**

 **And the Inquisition Task Force was then officially created in September 20, 2053. Personnel within the taskforce are carefully-selected to ensure effective and efficient operations to be conducted. Inquisition operatives, known as the Inquisitors, have high authority within the Coalition hierarchy, even higher than the Constable-Commanders of the Enforcement Constabulary(Personnel commonly known as the Enforcers).**

 **Selections of Shocktroopers could be qualified for Inquisition duty, and be integrated to be operating among standard Inquisitors. All Inquisition operatives are required for extensive combat training, both ranged and close-quarter combat.**

 **The Inquisitors, along with the ShockTrooper Corps, took part in the secretive 'Great Internal Purge' during the decades of 2060-2070s, eliminating the Coalition Council, the whole assembly was deemed inept and plagued with corruption.**

" **The whole purge was made to look like a series of accidents and opposition assassinations, and no one suspected a bit, all the way to the 2070s. It marked a new 'shell' for the Coalition, like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. All Divisions and Sectors are operating once again, in clean and stable rates. With no sluggish council nor incompetent administrators, the Supreme Command finally holds absolute power over the Coalition. The purge showed nothing but pure efficiency and ruthlessness that the ShockTroopers and Inquisitors possess."**

 **-Supreme Commander Frederick Goettner, 2076**

* * *

"Lieutenant Tanner, this is an emergency alert! We were stopped by a row of Imperial legionaries, Officer Faulkner tried to talk them into moving aside, he was abducted and taken hostage by the Imperials. We tracked them back to the town of Italica, request immediate response."

"Wait what?!" The AITV suddenly stopped meters before the Southern gate. "What's wrong Douglas?!" Katsuo asked from the radio.

"Faulkner's taken hostage by Imperial troops and brought back to Italica."

"Where do you think in the town would they hold him?"

"Can't think of much places, we'll need to conduct a search. We will have to split up to fireteams." Tanner disembarked from his vehicle, followed by Neville, Leclair, and Payne.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the market district. Just gotta wait for the girls' trading process to finish.

They started their search, assisted by the Japanese and British soldiers stationed at the town. They searched through the Market district, joined by Katsuo, next, the Town plaza. They still couldn't find the Inquisitor in the districts they've searched, even the now-empty garrison of the guards.

"3rd Recon Team, this is Lieutenant Kingston, 8th Spec-Ops Platoon. Raven-1 has located the perpetrators in the palace. Repeating, they're in the Town palace. Meet us at the palace."

"Roger, we'll get there immediately."

* * *

"You did what?!" The princess shouted, startling her friend Bozes. A few drips of her drink got to Bozes' face when it spilled.

Severina got injured on the way and was sent back to the camp, and now, they captured a high-ranking officer of the Coalition. She feared this may have ceased all her chances to negotiate with Japan and the United Nations. Putting an officer's life in threatening danger, they'll likely continue the war!

Bozes, still confused, asked the princess, "What's...wrong? He's with the enemy!"

"Yeah, the enemy that just helped us defend this town!" Bozes was surprised, the enemy? Helping them?

"They'll probably be storming into this hall in just a few minutes!" She's starting to panic, just like during the breach at the Siege of Italica. She's putting this town and her comrades in danger again. She'll need to find a solution to negotiate with the Coalition.

She paced around, Hamilton and Panache looked at her with a face of concern. They heard a knock from the door, she froze her pace. They're here.

Sergeant Richthofen knocked on the door, Volkov and Blakesley lined up behind him. They planned on distracting the legionaries inside. While Raven-1 and his team find a way into the room and extract the hostage.

They entered through one of the empty halls, they passed through roaming maids but managed to avoid them without detection. Their black armor increased their chance of hiding in the dark.

They heard movement in the room situated at the end of the hall. "Cooper, check that room. We'll back you up." They stacked beside the entrance. Cooper was about to turn the doorknob when a man slammed open the door. It was Inquisitor Faulkner, injured with bruises on his face, and his coat messed.

"Glad it's you guys. Excuse me but I'll need to have a talk with the princess. Corporal Cooper may I borrow your sidearm?" Cooper handed him his sidearm, a PDW-280.

They stopped at a door on the other side of the hall. They could hear female voices arguing with each other.

Faulkner opened the door, with Raven-1 and his team covering his flank. The princess and her knights were shocked to see the Inquisitor and his men.

"Princess you and your Order's actions are starting to test our patience. If you dare to try another start stunt like that-"

"You dare threaten the princess!" Hamilton confronted him despite the man having a firearm aimed at her. She got into a defensive stance with her shortsword, to protect her princess. She shortly received a pistol-whip from his handgun, knocking her down to the ground.

"A typical brat, no wonder kids like you don't last long in a war." Showing his distaste for the young legionary. Panache went to her side, examining her bruise.

Coalition and UN soldiers rushed into the room, the knights are now surrounded.

"Inquisitor Faulkner, glad you're okay sir." Lieutenant Kingston said, Faulkner nodded, "Thank you for your concern Lieutenant. excuse me but I'll be needing to give a report back to base."

He spoke before walking out of the room. "You're lucky that slavery is banned in our world, very lucky." Pina was surprised, an army that doesn't have slaves?

"Is this true?" She asked the soldiers that remained in the room. Katsuo was the first to respond with a nod, "That's true. Slavery is officially outlawed in our world."

"Partially true, there is still illicit slavery behind the public eye. But the authorities eliminating them." Sergeant Conway said.

"So...you're not gonna capture my knights as prisoners of war?" Katsuo nodded. "Yes. However, since you're an important figure of the Saderan Empire, I shall talk with the Command on how to deal with this." He placed his helmet onto his head, giving his farewell to the princess with a bow, then walked out of the palace followed by his team.

He went to the communications tent of the UNAA stationed in South Italica near the town plaza. He asked the radio operators for a meeting with the commanders back at Alnus base.

A radio operator handed him the radio, "Good day General, this is Lieutenant Youji, I'm calling to talk about a problem we're having here."

General Takeshi answered on the other side of the line, "Likewise Lieutenant. What is it?" Katsuo explained to the commander about how the Pina's legionaries, or knights as she preferred to call, captured and tortured Faulkner not knowing that the Coalition and UN helped their Princess in defending Italica.

"I'll have to discuss this with the rest of the commanders. We will send an official to the town when we find a solution to this. Also, report back to me when you and your team return to Alnus."

"Roger that, sir." He returned the radio back to the operator. He gave his thanks and returned to his team, who were still in the palace.

"What now, Lieutenant Youji?" Sergeant Kurata asked.

"General Takeshi has just ordered us to report back to him at base." Kurata was glad that he could finally rest, but was sad as well because of his separation with Persia.

"Don't worry, we'll come back here someday." Katsuo smirked and gave an assurance to his friend.

* * *

 **Alnus Hill, Falmart**

3rd Recon Team and 4th Deep-Recon Platoon returned to Alnus base with a Coalition MP armored vehicle. The CoN enforcers disembarked with a Siren captured after the Siege of Italica.

The unit leaders went to the HQ to give their reports.

"Thank you for your reports. About the issue with the princess, she could serve as a diplomat with the Empire, the Coalition has already sent an agent to meet the princess at Italica. You have two days to rest with your units, we'll be briefing your next mission after your break. You may be dismissed."

* * *

 **Rondel, Falmart**

After a day and a half-long journey to Rondel, passing by a base of an army similar to the one he encountered at Alnus, he finally arrived at the Magical city of Rondel.

One of the only cities in the region of Falmart that is literally populated by mages, it has a library, marketplace, and university catering for mages and those interested to be mages. The Great MageHall is where the mage councilors reside and hold meetings. The head of the council is the Arch-Mage, who rules the city along with the council and reports to the local Imperial governor.

He stopped his horse in front of the city gates, he managed to buy a steed from an inn selling horses in their stables, surprisingly costing only 10 _aurei_. The gate was guarded by battlemages clad in armor. Gatekeepers opened the gates, one of them asked him a question, "What is your purpose of visit here?"

"I'm here to visit the Mage University." He answered. From his father's words, the only individuals he knew that has the knowledge in fighting a dragon are the mages in Rondel. A reason why the Empire considered them valuable assets. However, the recent years have been tense between Rondel and the Saderan Empire. Cause by rumors of the Empire planning to establish a full annexation of the city of Rondel, which in a pact between the Imperials and the Mages, prohibited it.

He walked through the gravel-paved streets, each street was full of buildings, some bizarre creatures conjured by troublesome magicians would pass or fly by buildings, chased by the city guards. Senior mages wearing lavish arcane robes. It was truly a City of Magic.

He directly went to the University. He entered the lobby hall, a fellow wood elf sat behind a desk. Two doors on the left and right side of the wall. A table in the right corner and 4 chairs circled around it.

The wood elf noticed him and happily greeted, "Hello there sir! Glad to see a fellow wood Elf here." He was confused, are there barely any wood elves here in this city?

The wood elf noticed his expression, and spoke again, "Pardon for my unnecessary enthusiasm. There aren't much wood elves living in this city. There are occasionally some visitors here coming from the Romalia mountains, but only occasionally. Anyway, I am Bancroft, greeter of the Mages University,what is your business here?"

"I would like to access the library here." He stated.

"Unfortunately, we can't simply grant anyone access to the Library. You'll have to be at least an associate of the Mages League, you could obtain one from the permission of the Initiation Master. Wait here, I'll call him." He rang a bell, a fairy came from a tiny hole perforated in the wall behind the desk.

He whispered to the fairy and it went back to the hole. "He'll shortly be right here. You may sit at the chairs over there."

He sat down at a chair, and relaxed at the soft material it's made of. He wasn't able to seat in a comfortable couch for a long time.

A man in blue robes stepped out of the left door. He had black hair with small amounts of gray-colored hair strands. He smiled and questioned the elf of his name, "I am Arundel Marceau," the elf answered.

"Greetings Arundel. I'm Livianus Farsuleius, Initiation Master of the Mages University in this city." The Initiation Master offered his hand for a handshake, he stood up and accepted it. Livianus asked him another question, "So what brings you here to the University of arcane sorcery?"

He sat back at his chair, "I would like to visit the library here, but it appears I'll need to be an associate or member to do so. I would like to apply for membership."

"Sure. But to be a member, you must pass through the rank of Associate, an associate is technically not a member, but could be promoted into one. To pass through Associate and obtain League Membership, you'll have to put through a task as a trial to determine if you are eligible for membership."

"What if I did not succeed in the trial?" Arundel asked. "Then you'll have retry in another test. Don't worry. Unlike the conventional education system of the Mages Youth Schools, you could apply into the university at anytime within the year."

"Alright, so what's the task?" Arundel diligently asked. "Some of our scholars here are looking for some Old Age textbooks that contain valuable information on some traditional arcane-healing methods. Have you ever heard of the Old library?" Arundel shook his head, he had limited information about Rondel from his father.

"You see, the library in this university was actually constructed just 5 years ago. The old library, located at the outskirts of the city was abandoned during a confrontation between the League mages and an army of necromancers. We lost a lot of fellow mages at the battle, we have no choice but to abandon the Library. So far, from the explorers hired by the High-Sorcerer, it was completely untouched, you could even see dust wafting in the air. But that was five years ago. And we currently have no idea what's in there. So maybe you could act as our scout for the exploration of the old Library. Come follow me before you go on to your task." Arundel followed him into a long hall, until they stopped in front of a reinforced steel door. The Initiation Master took out a key from his robe, and inserted it into the keyhole.

It was an armory beyond the steel door. Most were in protective cases, no doubt contained enchanted weapons, except for a rack of steel short swords and long swords. "Unfortunately, we only have steel weapons available. Those enchanted weapons over there are only for Battlemages. Only full-fledged members can access the Enchantment altars to enchant their own preferred weaponry. Pick any of those for now."

He took a long sword, not as light as the short swords, but it had a better reach than the short-bladed swords.

"I should definitely request another set of silver weapons." Livianus muttered. "So that's your pick?" He asked.

Arundel nodded, "Yeah, preferred a long sword."

"Alright, now as I've said previously, the Library has been unexplored for a very long time. And that's why you'll need to pack some protection." Livianus went over to a row of three coffers. He opened the far-right one, and took out a mail armor similar to the Imperial _Lorica hamata_ , albeit with distinct engravings on it, a symbol of the Mages League in the center of an armored chest piece.

"You'll be needing this, every mage-armor is enchanted with fire, poison, and frost protection." He dusted off his robe, and smiled, "Now that you ha- Wait." He grabbed a sack from the table near the coffers. "Here, food and supplies that you'll need on the journey. Now that you're all ready, you may now begin your journey."

A mage entered the armory, he murmured something to Livianus and walked out of the room. "It appears the High-Sorcerer has just hired mercenaries to escort an exploration party destined to the old Library. You will adjoin them in their expedition into the library. I'll inform the High-Sorcerer of the task I gave you. Good luck."

* * *

 **Old Arcane Library, Rondel outskirts**

The courtyard and entrance of the library was incredibly tranquil, a herd of deer pranced around the now grass-rooted patio, vines attached themselves to the old statues and pillars. Stood in the center was an extinguished campfire and four small stools. At the end of the courtyard is the stone door of the Library. Vines were cut off between the door, indicating that someone has already breached through the entrance.

Unlike the beautiful site of the Library courtyard, the interior was dimly lit, the only light source being enchanted light stones and torches that were recently lit. The infrastructure design was familiar to him. But he couldn't remember where have he seen this. It was incredibly dusty, and the floors and walls have cracks.

He scavenged through a couple of containers on the way, but were all picked clean.

He heard voices ahead the hallway. Four men were facing a door.

"I told you I can't read it! These are Elven writings." Said the mage in purple robe holding a torch.

"I knew we should've brought along Bancroft with us!" The other robed man complained, his robe was identical to the former, but had a hood over his head. Two men donned in steel armor were accompanying the mages.

This must be the exploration party.

His footsteps down the stone slabs were enough to alert the armored guards. They unsheathed their weapons, the mercenary with a redesigned _galea_ helmet and silver long sword stepped forward. "Stop. State your business here. Are you a treasure hunter? Or some filthy bandit looking for loot. Before we put our blades through your chest."

"I'm Arundel, an associate sent by Livianus of the Mages League. You must be the scholar exploration party sent by the High-Sorcerer."

"Wait, Arundel, of the Marceau? Is that really you?" The helmeted mercenary said. He took off his galea, "Remember me?" He recognized the scar across the man's forehead, Vergilius Hirtuleius, the centurion officer he escaped along with Aldhard and Plinius.

"Vergilius?"

The mercenary nodded briefly, "Correct, glad you still recognized. This is Vibius Icilius, veteran of the Imperial Army." He referred to his fellow mercenary wielding a gladius. "And these are the two mages we're hired to escort through the ruined library." Scaevola Lurius, the mage without a hood, a junior scholar. And Pompilius Metilius, senior scholar of the Mage University.

"So the Initiation master sent you. Thank Fortuna he send a wood elf. You'll help us greatly." The hooded mage, Pompilius, said.

He pointed towards the door, "Do you understand the texts? We believe these are Elven characters." Arundel examined the door writings, indeed these are Elven texts. He nodded.

His father used to bring him to adventures into the Elven ruins that were in the mountains near their village. The doors were similar to this. Father would use a spell to open these type of magical doors. He memorized the phrase his father spoke when casting the spell.

"It's an enchanted door, this will need a spell to open." He uttered the phrases in a language foreign to his human companions. The door opened.

"Wonderful!" That was the last cheer from the junior scholar.

Three wraiths were roaming around the next room, a study room. Wraiths are immune to weaponry built from standard materials, except for silver, Elven steel, and enchanted weapons. They could be damaged by attack-type magic.

So Arundel and the mages used their fire magic against the wraiths, and Vergilius used his silver longsword. The wraiths were defeated without casualties.

* * *

 **Romalia Mountain, south of Rondel city**

3rd Recon Team and 4th Deep-Recon Platoon conducted scouting activities on the city of Rondel, their outpost situated on the slope of the Romalia mountains. A Coalition research team escorted by a platoon will arrive at the Rondel city to learn more about the magic in this region. They identified an Imperial outpost acting as a checkpoint in the highway connected to Rondel, the highway where the research convoy will pass through. They notified the convoy escorts that were 10 kilometers away from the outpost and 40 kilometers from the city of Rondel.

There's no way of avoiding confrontation with the soldiers stationed at the camp.

"TurtleBack-1F. HE. AITV, eliminate enemy infantry." Tanner ordered. The 180mm tank gun of the Challenger 6 acted as artillery support with the use of High-Explosive shells. The AITV's autocannon disposed the infantry that were in the open field of the camp, damaging sections of the wooden walls as well.

The Coalition platoon began their assault, using the BPMD's weaponry to destroy the cavalry formations. The SPAAG protected the convoy from aerial hostiles, while infantrymen swept out the rest of the enemy footsoldiers. The camp was destroyed, with a platoon-sized band of Imperial soldiers in retreat towards the North.

The convoy was now 20 kilometers from Rondel. The recon teams watched for any Imperial ambush or counterattack units.

The rest of the trip of the convoy was without interruption. They managed to get to the gate of the city, greeted by the city guards.

"What's going on over there?" Asked Sergeant Kuwahara.

Katsuo observed the gate with his binos. "Looks like an officer's talking with the guards.

The officer gave a salute, the guard was confused, but nonetheless returned the greeting. The officer returned to his vehicle and the gates were opened.

"This is Mechanized Escort Unit-5, we're entering the city gates. Thanks for the support Avenger-1."

The research team entered the city, escorted by MEU-5 and 8th Spec-Ops Platoon. The platoon was sent along with the research party to gather information about the 'arcane elements' that reside in this world.

"First Lieutenant, secure the areas. We'll guide the researchers to the University." They've just received information about the Mage University being the best focal point of arcane information and even the history of Falmart.

The University resembled a Greek temple, Roman architecture was inspired from the Greeks.

They passed through the campus patio, students and scholars practiced various sorts of magic that were fascinating for the eyes of the soldiers and researchers. It was the soldiers' first time seeing magic personally. But not for the researchers, they've captured battlemages of the Imperial army during the taking of Alnus hill.

The large door constructed as the entrance of the University was guarded by three battlemages. The center mage had an ornate armor in silver and blue color. "I'm Captain Herennius, leader of the Guards in the University district of the Rondel City Watch. You must be the research team, the Inquisitor is already talking with the academy administrators."

They got into the meeting hall, the Inquisitor is conversing with the administrators. He introduced them to the infantrymen and researchers. High-Sorcerer Ligarius, Main administrator of the Mage University. Archive executive Domitia Nerius, supervisor of the Library archives. Glaucia Ofanius, who administrates the arcane academics. And lastly, Livianus Farsuleius, Initiation Master of the university. The special guest arrived, Arch-Mage Tadius.

The Arch-Mage is not busy, willing to conduct a tour for the research team, and honorary access to the Library.

"It is an honor to have a whole group of scribes to be fascinated in the history and tradition of our Great League." Arch-Mage Tadius joyously stated. The research team studied the books in the library, most of the members assigned to the team were proficient in Latin. Strangely, selection of the books were written in the English language, in what is perhaps near the Late Roman-era.

The research team leader requested for a book containing the history of the Falmart region.

"I'm gravely sorry, but we only have the history book of the Saderan empire, which is regularly updated. We lost our copy of the Great History Book during the abandonment of our Old Library. Fortunately, we sent an exploration party to the Old Library just 3 hours ago. They should be back in a couple of hours."

While waiting for the exploration party's return. The scribes managed to obtain information about how magic works in the Realm. Each person could channel 'mana' through their body, and form it into an arcane ability. Arcane abilities, or commonly known as 'spells', are categorized into several types. First is Curative magic, used for healing wounds and ailments. Second is Destructive magic, included are fire spells, forcewind spells, frost spells, and bolt spells. Evocation magic, used for summoning creatures from other Realms, the most common ones being the Daimones of the Underworld. Third is the Mind-Alteration magic. The last is Metaphysical magic, the most unique type of all the arcane abilities. Telekinesis, Invisibility shroud, water-walking, aquatic breathing, and many more assortment of spells that fit under the category.

A tamed imp flew into the library, delivering a letter to the Arch-Mage.

"Looks like our exploration party is currently having a problem in the Old library. They've encountered hostiles wraiths, and worse, a lich."

The Coalition soldiers and researchers knew what the liches were. Known in fantasy literature, liches were necromancers and corrupt kings that were resurrected into an immortal creature. They could summon undead creatures from the Underworld Realm, however, only in small numbers at a time.

Arch-Mage Tadius ordered a team of battlemages to be sent to assist the exploration party. "Perhaps we could help." Inquisitor Faulkner suggested.

"In this situation, I'm welcome for assistance. Please ensure the safety of my fellow mages."

Faulkner nodded and pulled in his radio. He went to a corner, out of the earshot of the mages, and even to his fellow Coalition personnel.

"Raven-1, I have a new task for you and your team."

* * *

"Target location spotted, 70 kilometers." The UAV operator said, he zoomed the drone's optics to view the ruins properly.

"Time to move in." Recon Team-4 of the Deathfist Regiment entered into the library. Passing by light green substances glowing in the dark, Bleier and Volkov collected some samples into containers for the researchers to study back at HQ.

They found the battlemages sitting with the exploration party around a campfire. They were tired, after fighting against a series of wraiths and reanimated skeletons. And two of them were injured. Two battlemages stood guard on the entrance to the next hall of the library.

"What's the situation, officer?" Bleier asked the battlemages' commanding officer. "We tried to fight the lich, but his arcane capabilities are far more powerful than us. We lost a wood elf on the battle, don't know if he survived or not. We remembered seeing him rushing to the old armory."

They assessed the situation of the hall, it was the Main Hall of the library, where the most important books were stored. The lich was nowhere to be found. They then heard a high-pitched scream.

Two wraiths hurled arcane winds at them. Their armor managed to protect from the freezing wind spells, and returned fire against the hostile spirits. The heated plasma bolts were enough to kill the wraiths.

After the wraiths were taken care of, they saw a shining light behind a tall statue in the center of Hall.

They found a wood elf in mail armor crouching down, collecting the dark substance into a jar. Lying beside him is the corpse of the lich. He turned around and saw the troopers in black armor, armed with plasma rifles.

The elf was about to unsheathe his sword when the battlemages and the scholars entered the library. He immediately knew that these men were friendly.

"Arundel, thank Mercury you're alive! We thought the Lich got you." They were appalled to see the rotting corpse of the Lich, its immortality stripped off after it died.

"You killed the lich. Wonderful! We'll take care of the rest of the areas." The battlemage leader said. They brought up their weapons and marched to the next hall, supported by the shock troopers.

Arundel and the exploration party remained behind, studying the library contents. He got info from Pompilius on where medical textbooks are located. He found three books that are still undamaged from termites. He took them into his sack to take back to the University.

"Leaving now?" Vergilius called from the other side of the hall. Arundel nodded, "Yes, I've got to deliver these books back to Livianus."

"Alright, we'll meet you back at Rondel. Have a safe trip!" They exchanged their goodbyes and there Arundel Marceau embarked for the city of Rondel.

On his way out of the library, he was stopped and checked by soldiers wearing the same black armor he encountered previously. They finished their inspection and allowed him out of the courtyard.

* * *

 **South Italica, Falmart**

A Coalition MRAP parked at the Town palace. An officer in dark-gray greatcoat stepped out of the vehicle.

He paced to the Town palace, escorted by a fireteam of SRAG operatives. The Town palace was now guarded by UN military policemen and Coalition Enforcers. They stopped their pace at the entrance to the Royal Court. The officer knocked at the door.

Bartholomew, the butler of the Formal Clan, opened the door and greeted the visitors. "Hello there sir, what's your purpose of visit here?"

"I'm here to meet Princess Pina, is she here?" The officer asked. The butler nodded, "Yes, she's still here." The butler ordered a maid to call for the princess while the officer and his escorts entered the Court.

Princess Pina ambled into the room wearing a stola. "Good afternoon gentlemen, you're calling for a meeting with me?"

The officer nodded, he took off his peaked cap and bowed. "Greetings Princess. I'm Inquisitor Guan Jian of the Coalition of Nations. I have been sent by our Main Commanders to give you a proposal."

They sat down and Jian began the discussion. "You are considered an important figure in the Saderan Empire, and one of the only ones that we've managed to contact with minor confrontation. We're giving you the chance to be a diplomat between the Coalition and the Saderan Empire. It's a grand proposal we're extending, consider it very well." She pondered on the decision. She could perhaps end the war. But she does not want the glorious Saderan Empire to end in such a humiliating end. This one's a tough choice for her. Either surrender to the invaders, or let the Empire and its capital be inevitably destroyed in the war.

"I'll have to discuss this with a friend of mine." Pina said.

"You have two weeks to think about the offer." He bowed again, and placed on his cap and left.

The choice she's going to make on this would greatly affect the future of the Empire.

He sat on the seat and close the door. They immediately drove to the Southern exit.

Upon returning, Inquisitor Guan received a report from a Coalition-Intelligence officer. "Sir, we've just received a report from UN agents on the casualties of the Ginza-Gate Incident." He was surprised that it was even released. He's been waiting for it since two weeks ago.

"Finally." He took the report and went back to his quarters. Jian removed his coat and sat down on his chair. He read the report. He placed his attention first on the tourist section. _6 Americans. 2 British. 2 French. 3 Koreans._ He stopped at the following one, _6 Chinese._ He recalled the report of a group of Chinese workers that were supposed to spend their holiday in Japan. Out of a group of 30 Chinese nationals, 6 were found to be missing after the Ginza Incident.

He rose up from his chair and slipped on his coat. He ran to the Communications building and requested a call to the Federation Intelligence. "Hello? This is Inquisitor Guan. Requesting an appointment with the Leaders."

An hour later, his petition was accepted and given a ride back to Ginza and a flight to Nanjing. The Leaders wanted him to personally give them the report.

* * *

 **NOTE: 1. The daimones are assorted types of demons. I'll introduce some of them in the next chapters.**

 **2\. I'm not so sure whether my explanation on the field of magic in the Realm was accurate, since it's just a theory I've formulated and inspired from medieval fantasy literature.**

 **3\. The main characters of 3rd Recon Team are either direct or indirect descendants of the main characters in the manga/anime.**

 **4\. I based the continent of Falmart on somewhere situated in the coastlines of Western Dalmatia, when the Slavs haven't migrated to the region yet. With certain twists and alternate history added to it.**


	12. Chapter 12: History of Falmart

The earliest record of human and humanoid settlers in Falmart were the Dalmatae tribes and Mountain Elves, 1st Millennium BC. (Before the Crusades, not to be confused with Before Christ/Before the Common Era, however they are similar to each other, so BtC is the Special Region's equivalent of BC/BCE. AC/AtC is the Special region's version of AD/CE)

* * *

 **500 BtC** ,The divine deities first revealed their presence when they opened their first Gate, doorways leading to other Realms. Three Legions led by Legate Helenus, Septimius, and Salonianus, under their Imperium Romanum banner, came out of the Gate.

They call themselves the Romans, and in their expedition of the continent of Falmart, they got their first contact with the Dalmatae tribes within the first month. There were small conflicts at first with the Romans, due to misunderstandings and disagreements with the tribes. The conflicts grew larger, and thus, the Roman-Dalmatae war began. The tribes built stone fortress in the mountains to defend themselves and conducted guerrilla tactics against the Imperials. The Dalmatae, despite having stone citadels and forts, were easily crushed due to their shortage of proper weapons maintenance and production, lack of unity between the tribes, and the efficient tactics of the Legions. With the war growing worse, some tribes decided to establish peace agreements with the Imperials. Those that continued to wage war with Romans were crushed and their land salted. The war lasted for 3 years.

The Elven tribes in the Romalia mountains and Koan Forest were rarely encountered by the Romans, due to their isolationist-style of living.

The Dalmatae tribes that surrendered were integrated within the Roman culture. The Romans taught them their language, writing, calendar system, medicine, food, and architecture. Many Dalmatae writers agreed that the integration of the tribes were indeed a positive effect for their lives. But not all tribes submitted to Imperial rule. A tribe led by Agron secretly conspired against the Imperials. They prayed daily to the Divine Deities. The deities answered their faithful devotions, and granted them the power of Magick. The deities also sent a messenger, Hermes, to teach them in harnessing their mana energy to create Magick abilities, and gifted Agron's tribe the Book of Arcane Elements.

They started ambushing Imperial foot patrols and outposts, using fire arcane spells and forcewinds to defeat the heavy infantry of the Empire.

Imperial spies discovered the Book and reported it to the Legates. Legate Salonianus with his legion, assaulted Agron and his allies' villages. Burning them down. Agron and the Book was nowhere to be found during the raid on his village.

Agron retreated to his fortress in the Snow region, located in the Northeastern sector of Falmart. He recruited soldiers and mercenaries in the local settlements to expand his army once again into a larger size. While the Imperials searched for him around the Southern and Eastern regions of Falmart.

 **494 BtC.** Agron began another campaign against the Imperials in the Northern sector, assaulting larger outposts and settlements.

The deities were concern with the campaign of Agron when he started attacking Dalmatae and Elven tribes that didn't have the desire to join his war against the Imperials. Showing that he was corrupted by his power, the deities switched their sides to the Imperials.

Out of the three legates, They chose Salonianus. They sent Iris, another messenger of the Divines. During Salonianus' slumber, Iris approached him and with a kiss of Her lips, he was blessed with arcane powers and a message from the divine deities. He was instructed to march to the Snow region with his legion to end Agron and his insurrection. At the dawn of Summer, Salonianus equipped himself and his legion of winter clothing, along with Helenus' legion, journeyed to Northeastern Falmart.

The war against Agron lasted for 10 months, Salonianus finally killed him at the Battle of Dinara, a mountain settlement named after the mountain ranges it's situated on, which local villagers and mountaineers said the battle looked like a light show of straight auroras launching back at each other.

Without a leader, Agron's remaining troops were scattered and surrendered to the pursuing legions of Helenus.

5 years after the Gate's opening, it was closed by the Divine deities. Trapping the three legates and their legions. The legions were still able to expand with the support of local auxiliary troops. Helenus mounted an expedition to the Eastern lands beyond Falmart, while Septimius traveled to the West. Leaving Salonianus the whole continent of Falmart. He declared himself as Emperor with the approval of his Dalmatae settlements.

 **493 BtC.** 2 years after the closing of the Gate. The Divine deities sent Iris again to Salonianus, in his palace established in the settlement of Italica, Salonianus named it after a city in the region of Hispania Baetica back at his homeworld. Salonianus was given a message from the Deities to start the expansion of his dominion.

 **492 BtC.** Salonianus began drawing more recruits from nearby settlements, and deployed four cohorts to the Eastern coastlines of Falmart, he and his personal legion were to follow them in the next day. On the way, he and his legion rest in the settlement of Haenna. His scouts found a large mass of fertile land situated on a tall hill perfect for growing a large settlement near the coast. In a year, the city of Sadera was constructed, named after the hill it was built on. He officially named it as his capital, and there starts the expansion of his grand empire.

 **480 BtC.** A devoted apostle of the Divine Emroy, ascended into the state of demigodhood in His Temple in the Kingdom of Eden.

 **468 BtC**. The Saderan Empire controlled most of the Western, Eastern, and Southern sectors of Falmart. Italica became a trading hub of the empire. The Emperor established the Senate, having representatives for both the Patricians and Plebeians.

 **467 BtC.** Emperor Salonianus died in his Palace, Sadera. Cause of death is found to be cardiac arrest. His lieutenant, Opimius, was appointed by the Senate as the Emperor. Salonianus was buried in the Saderan Imperial Tombs.

 **465 BtC.** The Divine Deities sent Mercury to give a message to Emperor Opimius, the messenger instructed Opimius to visit the Romalia Mountains. Guided by the apparition of Mercury, Opimius and his Elf companion, Germanus, hiked up to the mountains, until they found the secluded _Theikos_ garden, a 'paradise' shrine created by the Divine deities as a reminder of their omnipresence within the Realm. Mercury instructed him to step at the main platform of the shrine, and upon stepping he was rendered unconscious, as witnessed by Germanus.

He received the vision of the original creation of Terra by the Divine Creator, through the legendary Sacred Book. However, he was commanded to not reveal the contents of the book to others. And he then woke up. No one knew where Opimius hid the Book, not even his wife nor Germanus, but there were tales of him hiding It in the Imperial Palace of Sadera.

 **442 BtC.** Emperor Opimius died in the Battle of Castra Batava, against the soldiers of the barbarian Elbe clan that came from the Northern lands beyond Falmart. He was succeeded by his brother as Emperor. The barbarians were repelled a month after his death.

 **435 BtC.** Briton tribes settled in the Falmart continent, coming from the Western Lands.

 **431 BtC.** The Kingdom of Eden was assimilated into the Saderan Empire after realizing the threat of

 **420 BtC.** The Second gate opened in Alnus hill. Dark Elves came from the Gate, just like the Mountain Elves, were natural magick users. They traveled around Central Falmart until settling in the Schwarz Forest.

 **411 BtC.** The third Gate was opened in the Romalia Mountains. An expedition of soldiers calling themselves the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, and the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary, came through the Gate. They established their camp in the mountains and dispatched scouting parties to the nearby lands. Books and journals from the Orders suggested that they found the passage to the _Theikos_ garden, they considered it sacred and built a fortress under it to as protection from outsiders, especially looters and heretics, as they implied. Most of the members of the Teutonic Order traveled to the Northern Lands, while the Hospitallers headed toward West.

 **397 BtC.** The Falmart Civil War began. The cause of it was the assassination of the reigning Emperor by opposition members. The son of the Emperor, Marcus, assumed the throne, supported by the loyalists of the Emperor. Marcus declared war against the Opposition leader Decimus Albinus and his faction. The Loyalist faction, led by Marcus, was situated in the Saderan capital, while the Opposition's main base is Bellnahgo. The Imperial Palace was heavily damaged by Albinus' siege engines during the war. Italica was damaged as well by Opposition raids. The war ended in 494 BC when Decimus Albinus was captured at the Siege of Bellnahgo and sentenced to death by the Emperor in the Saderan capital. Reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure quickly began after the conflict.

 **371 BtC.** A Fourth gate opened in Alnus hill. Observed by Imperial scouts, Orcs exited the Gate and established a camp at the hill. After two weeks, The Orc army began their assaults on villages. Two Imperial legions responded to the attacks. Three villages were wiped out in the aftermath. The Imperial Army constructed the fortified Camp Alnus at the Hill and a stone wall that surrounded the Gate. General Titus I was given command of three legions and five auxiliary cohorts, the General and his troops swiftly mounted a counterattack beyond the Gate, to the home world of the Orcs. Starting the Imperial-Orc War.

 **370 BtC.** The Imperial Army returned with grand news of victory against the Orcish barbarians. Cited from Imperial records, the casualties were estimated to be around 2,000 Imperial troops, including auxiliaries. And more than 6,500 Orcs dead. Imperial troops captured 1,300 Orcs, and were put into hard labor as punishment of their first aggression against Imperial territory.

 **362 BtC.** The Elbe clan returned to Falmart led by King Arnifrid, settled at the Southern region of Falmart. Imperial diplomats were sent to demand the Elbe king to pay taxes in order to stay in Saderan territory. 2 months after the diplomatic mission, Imperial troops established camps and checkpoints near Elbe clan territory.

 **364 BtC.** The Imperial Army launched a surprise attack on territory of Elbe clan, the Imperial invasion comprised of 2 legions. Despite the Elbe army having the advantage in numbers, Imperial tactics dominated the battlegrounds between the two. The three months of conflict ended when King Arnifrid's generals betrayed him and turned the king over to the Imperials. The kingdom was placed under Imperial control.

 **360 BtC.** Unidentified bandits began a spree of attacking Imperial foot patrols and convoys. There were reports of forest brigands attacking Imperial outposts within the lands of Elbe.

 **357 BtC.** Illyrian settlers established themselves in the lands west of Elbe. The bandits attacking Imperials, now known as the 'Elbe brigands', continued their raids on Imperial bases, successfully captured two Imperial outposts in the end of the year. A legion was deployed to reinforce the Imperial troops garrisoned at Elbe.

 **351 BtC.** Illyrian settlements in the West of Elbe were united by self-proclaimed King Ahenobarbus, establishing the Kingdom of League. Imperial diplomats were sent, negotiating the claims of territory by King Ahenobarbus and his Kingdom. The Saderan Empire officially recognized the kingdom and its territory after a month.

 **332 BtC.** Elbe brigands united under the leadership of Arnifrid's son Cauis Laetorius, forming the Elbe Rebellion Army. 5 consecutive victories against the scattered camps of Imperial troops were achieved within the year.

 **330 BtC.** Cauis' rebel army launched a surprise assault on the main fortress of the Imperials occupying Elbe.

 **327 BtC.** Numerous conflicts proved disastrous against Cauis' army forced the Imperial army to withdraw from Elbe. A week after the defeat of the Imperials, Cauis established the Elbe Fiefdom, and declared the lands of Elbe as territory of the fiefdom. The Rebellion Army was reformed into the Elbian Army.

 **326 BtC.** Elbian scouts spotted large movement of Imperial activity near the borders of Elbe and neighboring League Principality. Lord Cauis instructed all blacksmith to produce weapons and armor for the Elbian army. Messengers were sent to recruit male civilians in the local settlements.

 **325 BtC.** League Principality covertly offered equipment for the Elbe army.

 **320 BtC.** Imperial Army launched an assault on Elbe, led by Legate Quintus and Thracius. Within 2 months, The Imperial Army captured 4 town and 2 cities, including the city of Poetovio and Adelswig.

 **318 BtC.** The year was known for the largest battle between Imperial and Elbian forces, in the Battle of Castra Batava. The citadel of Castra Batava was besieged by Imperial troops for 3 weeks until it fell down to Imperial siege engines.

 **317 BtC.** League Principality sent reinforcements to the Elbian army in the Battle of Ofthausen. Despite having the support of reinforcements, the city of Ofthausen was captured by Imperial forces.

 **315 BtC.** Elbe's capital, Gerasstadt, was captured by Thracius' legion. Lord Cauis and his family were exiled to the Snow regions.

 **314 BtC.** Quintus and Thracius' legions, backed by Legate Traianus' legion, assaulted the Principality of League.

 **312 BtC.** Legate Quintus killed in battle against General Mytilus of the League Army during the Battle of Midradena, a city located in the Southern area of League Principality. The battle ended in League victory.

 **301 BtC.** A faction of mages led by Chlodovec Gargonius established a community in the plains of Rondel. There they formed Mages League and constructed a school dedicated for the study and teaching of Arcane elements. Traders passing by the settlement spread the news to other settlements of the school that teaches magic, giving an opportunity for those interested in learning arcane capabilities. The community quickly grew into a town within the year.

 **295 BtC.** The League Principality Army was defeated in the 5-day Battle of Tripontium. The battle was a disastrous failure for the Principality as the Army lost more than 3,000 men in the battle.

 **294 BtC.** The League Principality surrendered to the Saderan Empire, in order to spare the remaining cities and the capital of the Principality. In an agreement, the League Principality was placed as a vassal state of the Empire.

 **276 BtC.** Kingdom of Alguna established by Dalmatae settlers in the lands west of League Principality.

 **264 BtC.** Carthago, an empire in the southern oversea regions, became a trading partner with the Saderan Empire.

 **263 BtC.** Lord Cauis died of old age in the town of Karlafjor located in the Snow Regions. Cauis' body was transported back to Gerasstadt, Elbe, for a burial ceremony.

 **234 BtC.** Tribes of 'Warrior Bunnies' settled in the Northeastern regions of Falmart and started trading with the nearby Elven, Dwarven, and Imperial settlements.

 **232 BtC.** The town of Rondel, named after the plains it was built on, expanded into a city-sized community. With the Mages School enlarged into a large academy.

 **227 BtC.** Kingdom of Mudwan revolted against Imperial influence. Starting the war between the kingdom and the Saderan Empire.

 **221 BtC.** King of Mudwan was killed by assassins in his palace during night time. His most trusted General, Maxentius, took command of the army after his death. The king's son was placed a successor of the throne.

 **220 BtC.** Three legions surrounded the capital of Mudwan. Mudwan troops managed to hold out for 2 weeks before being overrun by Imperial troops. The kingdom of Mudwan was placed as a vassal state of the Saderan Empire

 **214 BtC.** Trade routes of the kingdom of Alguna were blocked by Imperial blockades.

 **213 BtC.** Alguna suffered from an epidemic, killing more than 200 civilians in just a year.

 **212 BtC.** Alguna forced to become a vassal state of the Empire after Algunan trade routes were blocked by Imperial forces. Medication were offered by the Imperials and the epidemic was successfully contained in a year.

 **207 BtC.** Arrun, originally an arid Imperial city east of Rho river, was reformed into a kingdom by governor Gallus, assuming the position of King of Arrun. The Imperial senate sent warnings to Gallus of his attempt of detaching Arrun from the control of the Empire. Gallus replied back with a pact of alliance to the Empire, but was rejected by the Senate. In fear of an invasion by the Saderan Empire, Gallus reorganized the Arrun city guards into a well-equipped army.

 **205 BtC.** Imperial forces responded to Gallus' rebellion. Imperial and Gallus' forces engaged with each other for the first time in the Battle of Segovia, a settlement north of Arrun. Gallus' forces succeeded in defeating the overconfident Imperial army. The humiliated Imperials were forced to retreat out of Arrun.

 **195 BtC.** After a decade of guerrilla warfare against the Imperial Army, the Arrunian Army suffered a fatal loss in the Battle of Sirmium. The Arrunian soldiers stationed at the city were attacked by two Imperial legions and one auxiliary cohort. The assault lasted two days when the defenders were overwhelmed by Imperial troops. The retreating Arrunians soldiers were ambushed by a third legion on their way to the nearby city of Asturica.

 **194 BtC.** The Arrunian army was defeated again in the second battle of Segovia. The Imperial legions were assisted by auxiliaries and Orc mercenaries. Kingdom of Arrun lost three cities already.

 **193 BtC.** Desperate to win the war, King Gallus ordered the best scribes and alchemists of the kingdom in creating a special serum that could enhance the physical attributes of a human body, intending to be used by the Arrunian troops. The main place dedicated for this research was the Arrun Labyrinth, a botanic complex surrounded by a forest constructed in **197 BtC**.

 **189 BtC.** A deadly disease afflicted the Arrun kingdom. Records stated that more than 50 civilians died in the first day of the outbreak. Two months later King Gallus died of the disease. Local doctors and healers were unable to find methods of curing the disease, the rising number of deaths continued through the year.

 **187 BtC.** King Gallus' cousin, Severinus assumed control of the kingdom after two years of conflict between the high officials of the Arrun kingdom. Severinus issued a full containment of the Arrun Labyrinth and other infected areas of the kingdom, isolating the uninfected and infected population.

 **186 BtC.** Severinus and the remaining uninfected population seek refuge in the city of Rondel. Severinus sought the assistance of the Mages League and Council. Medicinal researcher Atticus was sent by the Council, along with his assistant Caduceus, to study the infected that were still roaming the Labyrinth.

 **181 BtC.** Seeing that the Arrun Labyrinth was abandoned by the Arrunians. Imperial forces were sent to occupy Arrunian settlements and of course, the Arrun Labyrinth. In the towns and villages, Imperial legionaries were 'greeted' by reanimated civilians that were infected by the disease. The infected were swiftly disposed of, and the Imperials set their camps in the settlements. Four months after the Imperial occupation, the troops were slowly being infected by the disease. Two Imperial legions fortified their positions inside the Labyrinth and patrolled around the complex searching for medical information that would be beneficial for the Imperial medicine knowledge. Upon reaching the main sector, Imperial legionaries were attacked by hordes of infected and were quickly overwhelmed in an hour. Labyrinth Imperial forces were forced to retreat and regroup at the nearby Arrun settlements. Where they reset their fortifications and defenses.

 **180 BtC.** An order came from the Emperor to prepare a withdrawal from Arrun, Imperial scouts were sent into a last mission in the Labyrinth to set traps and secure the closing of access points, preventing any infected from exiting the botanical labyrinth.

 **165 BtC.** Merchant ships departing the city of Deabis were attacked by pirates. An Imperial legion was sent to investigate the source of pirates, and quell the piracy raids. Four Imperial ships were also dispatched to patrol the surrounding waters of Deabis. Reports from the legion scouts stated that the port city of Deabis was controlled by pirates and their sympathizers, including the Governor of Deabis and his city guards. The legion commander requested two more legions to assist him in retaking Deabis.

 **164 BtC.** Two legions and four auxiliary cohorts arrived to assist the first legion in recapturing the city of Deabis. **January 6,** The Imperial troops, supported by auxiliaries and naval vessels, attacked the pirate-controlled city. The Imperial ships met resistance from the pirate vessels that were equipped with _ballistae_ and _harpax,_ which were used to mount assaults on Imperial navy ships. **January 7,** Imperial legionaries managed to break through the gate defenses, and fought against pirates and mutineers in the city streets. **January 9,** the legionaries met their match in their battle against the city guards, causing heavy casualties for the legions. **January 14,** Four additional vessels with troops were sent to support the Imperial navy. **January 15,** an Imperial ship was lost in a battle against a heavy pirate vessel. **January 20,** A defected city guard named Junius assisted Imperial troops in ambushing the inner city defenses. **January 21,** Imperial forces managed to break through the weaker central defenses of the city, quickly capturing the city hall within the day.

 **162 BtC.** Two years after his capture, the former governor of Deabis was executed by the Imperial Army, witnessed by the Emperor and his senators.

 **161 BtC.** Deabis was fully rebuilt again after the battle. It restarted as a great trading hub for merchants coming from foreign and local land, and a large port for sailors.

 **146 BtC.** Carthaginian merchants stopped entering trade with local merchants, and withdrew their ships from Falmart ports. Rumors heard from the Carthaginians were that the empire of Carthago was defeated in a war with an unknown empire.

 **133 BtC.** Sempronius, a plebeian tribune selected by the Saderan people, passed a law to redistribute public land to the poorer landowners of Sadera. The aristocrats and senators were against his act of overruling the tribunician veto, and attacked Sempronius and his followers in the Capitol. The tribune's supporters defended themselves with staves and clubs, but was unsuccessful in preventing Sempronius' death. Sempronius' fellow tribune, Satyreius, was the first to deliver a blow to his head. More than 300 supporters of Sempronius were killed in the strife, and their bodies thrown into the Rho river.

 **120 BtC.** Imperial caravans encountered a group of migrants belonging to the tribe known as the Cimbri, coming from the Northern lands beyond Falmart.

 **113 BtC.** The Cimbrians began having conflicts with nearby settlements. The Imperial Senate noticed the conflict and sent Imperial legions, led by General Gnaeus, to warn the Cimbrians to leave Saderan territory. Initially, the Cimbrians complied. Upon arriving at the borders of Falmart, the Cimbri tribe was ambushed by Imperial forces. Repelling the ambush, the tribesmen retaliated. Their first attack was on Bellnahgo, the Cimbric assault was quelled but the city gate was heavily damaged.

 **112 BtC. July 9** , Italica was attacked by Cimbrian forces. The city guards managed to defend the gates for one week, until the gates were broken down by Cimbrian battering rams. **July 17,** The Western and Eastern gates were besieged by Cimbrian warriors, and were breached a day after. **July 19,** the Cimbrian assault was repelled by Imperial reinforcements composed of two legions.

 **109 BtC.** Cimbrian forces invaded the city of Rondel, defended by Legate Silanus' legion and the Rondel City Watch. Despite dealing heavy casualties among the Cimbrians, Silanus' legion was defeated, but the Rondel city guards managed to repel the remaining Cimbrian assaulters.

 **107 BtC.** The Imperials were defeated in the Battle of Mount Tuba by Cimbrian guerrillas.

 **105 BtC.** The Imperial Army mobilized its largest force since the Roman-Dalmatae War, led by General Mallius and General Caepio, to end the Saderan-Cimbrian War. Wanting glory in ending the war for themselves, the two generals were distrustful of each other. They marched to the Romalia mountains where the Cimbrians were camping and established separate camps. Underestimating the Cimbrian forces, Scaepio and his troops attacked the enemy without Mallius' support. Scaepio's army was devastated, and his camp overran. Mallius' army was defeated shortly after the fall of Scaepio's camp. Only a few hundred Saderans, including Scaepio and Mallius, escaped the carnage. More than 80,000 Saderan troops were killed in one of the most disastrous battles of the Saderan Empire.

 **101 BtC.** The Imperial Army redeemed itself of the disastrous battle of Romalia by annihilating the main Cimbrian camp situated near Bellnahgo, who were planning to start another assault on the city. The legions were able to surprise the Cimbrians while they were resting in their encampment. Majority of the Cimbrian forces were destroyed, forcing more than 300 Cimbrians to retreat to the Snow regions. The Cimbrians were never heard of after the battle and their presence completely gone in the Falmart continent. General Drusus, commander of the forces that ended that Saderan-Cimbrian War, was hailed as a war hero of the Saderan Empire.

 **90 BtC.** A collective union was established among certain warrior rabbit tribes, the union was transformed into the Kingdom of Polekouneli. After its establishment, the kingdom began sending envoys to the Empire, hoping to seek an alliance against hostile rabbit tribes that didn't assimilate into the union. Four months later, an Imperial messenger returned with interests of having an alliance with the Kounelian kingdom.

 **85 BtC.** The Polekouneli kingdom, with support of Imperial troops defended the kingdom's borders against outsider rabbit tribes, engaging in a large-scale battle in the town of Ereteum. Aftermath is Polekouneli-Imperial victory against hostile outsider tribes.

 **73 BtC.** The largest slave rebellion against the Saderan Empire occurred in the city of Deabis. The slave rebels were led by gladiator Spartakos. A small force of Imperial troops were sent to pursue the escaped slaves, but were easily defeated by Spartakos' army of 70 slave gladiators.

 **71 BtC.** Spartakos' army rose up to a number of more than 120,000 men and women. The Imperial Army found challenge in suppressing the rebellion, but took an opportunity in surrounding his army near the Rho River. A portion of Spartakos' army retreated to the nearby mountains, and were pursued by an Imperial legion. Spartakos was allegedly killed in battle, but his body was never found. 6,000 rebels were captured by the legions, and all were crucified along the Appia Highway as a warning against attempts of slave insurrections.

 **67 BtC.** The Saderan Imperial Senate passed a law enforcing the prohibition of demi-humans from entering the Higher Districts of the Imperial Capital. The demi-humans were forced to move to the lower districts, the most populated districts being the Akusho and _Fochosthropos_ districts.

 **21 BtC.** Demi-humans and human tribes were spotted settling in the Tuba mountains. The tribesmen were observed to be well-equipped with weapons and armor.

 **18 BtC.** Imperial Senate passed a law regarding penalization of bribery in obtaining political offices. A number of senators and officials were against the law, they were assassinated by Imperial agents after a week.

 **17 BtC.** Unrest in the Lower Districts increased as protests from the lower-class citizens grew larger. Starting from small rallies to large violent riots. Imperial soldiers were deployed to enforce order on the Lower Districts. The increase hatred of the demi-humans against the Imperials gave potential for the syndicate gangs to recruit more civilians into their ranks.

 **16 BtC.** The lower citizens and demi-humans started a wide revolt against the unjust laws of the Imperial Senate. Armed by syndicates, the citizens attacked soldiers and Imperial watchmen stationed in the Lower Districts. One legion and three auxiliary cohorts were dispatched to suppress the uprising. The next two months oversaw the successful elimination of the disloyal citizens and rebels.

 **14 BtC.** For three centuries, a Gate was opened again in the Snow regions. Local villagers came in contact with the men that came from the Gate. Calling themselves the soldiers of the Tsar, they were armed with long sticks that could launch fire from a distance. The soldiers fortified themselves in the settlement of Dinara, where they got a deal with the leader to allow them to stay in the city in exchange for protection against mountain bandits. The news spread to the Emperor, fascinated by the presence of a new Gate, he sent an envoy and Imperial cohort to meet the men from the Gate. The different languages spoken by the two factions led to unpleasant misunderstandings.

 **13 BtC.** Misinterpreting the soldiers' words as declaration of war, the Imperial cohort attacked the Tsarist soldiers. The cohort outnumbered the 150-men company of soldiers, but were easily defeated from a distance by the soldiers' ranged weapons. Imperial envoys retreated to the Capital, telling the Emperor and the Senate of the soldiers' aggression against Imperial forces. The Senate and the Emperor approved the request of one legion to be sent to the Snow regions.

The Imperial expedition, led by Legate Egnatius engaged their first battle with the Tsarists. The legion suffered heavy casualties from the soldiers' long-range weapons. Egnatius was killed by a Tsarist marksman while inspecting his troops on **May 13.** The Imperial army sent reinforcements consisting of two battlemage cohorts, to counter what they consider the firearms, as _magic_. The battlemages managed to turn the tide of the conflict, estimately causing around 5-8 casualties among the soldiers. The soldiers retreated into Dinara, the battlemages pursued and were halted by the marksmen that were stationed in the city walls. **September 27,** to prevent the settlement of Dinara from being involved in the conflict, the Tsarists evacuated out of the town and retreated further north. They managed to leave the borders of Falmart before the Imperials were aware that they escaped. Before escaping, the soldiers managed to blow up the gate and prevented anyone from getting in or out of the Gate. After the destruction of the Gate's entrance, the Divine Deities decided to close it.

 **1 BtC.** Emperor Caracalla ascended to the throne after his father's death. Several senators disapproved of his succession due to his reckless and aggressive behavior.

 **1 DtC.** Emperor Caracalla commenced what he called as the "Crusade", his plan of cleansing the Falmart from criminals, heretics, and demi-humans, people he considered the Filth of the Region. **January 15** , The emperor allowed the human population of the lower classes into the Higher Districts, leaving the demi-humanoids to rot in the Lower Districts.

 **2 DtC.** Emperor Caracalla was interested in the kingdom of Polokouneli, after discovering that they've found large deposits of valuable minerals. He sent an envoy to the kingdom, but was reported that the delegate was killed. Raged that the warrior rabbits killed an Imperial diplomat, he sent three legions to invade the kingdom. Starting the Saderan-Kouneli War.

A Gate was opened by the Deities near the city of Telta, Eastern Falmart. Came out were expeditions of Anglo settlers, most of them traders, soldiers, and farmers. They brought with them their language, their methods of agriculture, writing, and smithery.

 **4 DtC.** The Polokouneli kingdom was defeated and the war ended, their capital sacked by General Elagabalus. More than 50,000 warrior rabbits and 30,000 Imperial troops died in the war.

In the month of November, the Tuba Rebellion was initiated when armed demi-humans present in the Tuba mountains started attacking Imperial trade routes and patrols. The Imperial Army reroute the trade routes to the secured Romalia mountains. Legionaries and auxiliaries under the command of General Elagabus fought the Tuba rebels in the mountains. **December,** the casualties quickly amounted to 3,000+ Imperial deaths and 500 wounded, more than 4,500 deaths and 400 captured from the Tuba insurrectionists.

 **5 DtC.** Emperor Caracalla was assassinated near the Temple by a guard while taking a break to urinate, the murderer was executed after his death. His distant nephew, Tiberius Claudius, replaced him as Emperor. Tiberius sacked General Elagabus for his carelessness in commanding the Empire's troops. General Lucius Marius replaced him as the commander of the forces.

 **7 DtC.** Ardjan Zogolli, allegedly the main leader of the Tuba rebel cells, was identified to be killed in a skirmish between Imperial troops and Tuba insurgents. A survivor of the fight was interrogated and revealed the rebel's main camp in the mountains. General Lucius and his legions trekked the mountains and found the encampment of the rebels situated within a long-extinct volcano. The legions surrounded the camp, and commenced their attack. The surprise attack on the unprepared rebels managed to cause devastating casualties for the Tuba rebels. The surviving rebels reportedly retreated deep into the mountain caves. Without a leader, the Tuba rebellion was divided and picked out one by one by Imperial forces. The Tuba Mountains were secured once again.

General Lucius Marius returned to Sadera with praises from the Emperor and the citizens of the Empire. A statue was built in honor of his victory against the Tuba Rebellion. General Lucius, with the support of the Emperor and his fellow generals, created the Order of the Imperium of Sadera. Constructing chapterhouses throughout the region, dedicated in stamping out criminals, raiders, and highwaymen.

 **9 DtC.** Emperor Tiberius was visited by a messenger from the Anglos. Requesting assistance in defending their settlements against a splinter sect of their fellow Englishmen that has resorted to cannibalism. The Emperor resented cannibalism, and immediately acknowledged the request. General Lucius' Order of legionaries were sent to the Anglo settlements. A fight quickly ensued between the legionaries and the cannibals, the swift victor being the legionaries. The legionaries, assisted by Anglo soldiers and auxiliaries, besieged the cannibal encampment. The cannibals were massacred and the settlement burnt down. Relief settled among the non-cannibal Anglo settlers. Thankful for the assistance, the Anglomen pledged their support for the Order of the House of Sadera with provisions of weapons, armor, food, and vital supplies.

 **11 DtC. February,** Reports from Emroy apostles and devotees stated presence of Dreadkins in the Tube Mountain. Dreadkins, one of the humanoid classifications of Daemons, creatures of the Underworld of Hades.

 **March,** Imperial patrols were ambushed by Dreadkin skirmishers. An outpost was quickly overran by Dreadkin troops. Two Imperial legions were deployed to reinforce the Imperial troops stationed at the Tuba mountains.

 **October,** Tuba rebels were found fighting alongside the Dreadkin army, Rondel mage officials theorized the possibility of the Tuba rebels being the ones that conjured a Daemon Gate for the Dreadkins to enter the Realm.

 **12 DtC.** Imperial scouts found the Daemon Gate, located on the fortress built within the Tube mountain. General Lucius began preparations for a large assault on the Dreadkin fortress. Lucius Marius' forces include four legions, five cohorts, three auxiliary cohorts, and four battlemage cohorts.

The battle in Tube mountain lasted for six weeks until the conflict ended in Imperial pyrrhic victory. Imperial casualties were estimated to be more than 50,000 killed in battle, and 8,000 injured. Dreadkin-Tuba insurgents joint forces were counted to be around 40,000 killed and 1,000 Tuba rebels captured. Rondel mages destroyed the Daemon Gates, the only mortal option to close the Gates. The material of the Gates' ruins were extracted and studied by mage scholars.

The victory against the Dreadkins soared General Lucius' popularity within Falmart, his campaign against the Daemons were even praised in the remote Snow regions.

 **13 DtC.** The year was marked as the "Last Year of the Crusade". Imperial authorities easen their suppression on the demi-human population. The last armed insurrections were eliminated by Imperial soldiers.

 **1 AtC.** A new era was established by Saderan historians, marking the era of "After the Crusades". The roads of Falmart were considered safe thanks to the efforts of Lucius and his legionaries in cracking down bandits targeting travelers of roads.

 **8 AtC.** Lucius Marius' retired from his position as the Commander of his Order of legionaries. Replaced by General Vipsanius Major, a former commander of the _Vigiles_ _Urbani_ stationed in the Lower Districts.

 **13 AtC.** Emperor Tiberius Claudius was assassinated in his palace during dinner time. His drink was found to be poisoned. Major suspect was the taster of his meal, Halotus. Citizens were outraged in the Emperor's assassination, and demanded that the suspects be executed. The Imperial Council was in conflict on who to be the successor.

 **14 AtC.** Lucius Domitius, adoptive son of Tiberius Claudius, succeeded his adoptive father as Emperor of the Saderan Empire.

 **16 AtC.** Caesar Britannicus, youngest son of former Emperor Tiberius Claudius, was poisoned before his 14th birthday. Speculations were that Emperor Domitius was the one who ordered his brother's death.

 **19 AtC.** Lucius Domitius' mother, was executed on the orders of the Emperor.

 **27 AtC.** Gauis Calpurnius, a prominent Saderan politician, gathered individuals within the capital who possessed similar discontent with Domitius' rule. Calpurnius and his group marched into the Emperor's palace, with the support of some of the Emperor's bodyguard. He was impaled to death by Servius Galba, one of Calpurnius supporters. Flavius Vespasianus replaced Domitius as Emperor.

 **37 AtC.** Emperor Vespasianus died, cause of death was reported to be of illness. Titus Vespasianus, son of Flavius, replaced his father as the Emperor.

 **38 AtC.** The Grand Colosseum of Sadera was completely constructed after being planned during Flavius Vespasianus' rule.

 **39 AtC.** Emperor Titus died due to fever in his four-year reign. Titus Domitianus Vespasianus, younger brother of Titus Vespasianus, replaced him as Emperor.

 **45 AtC.** Under Domitianus' term, the Empire officially adopted the "Caracallan Calendar", a system of calendar, includes Before the Crusades(BtC), During the Crusades(DtC), and After the Crusades(AtC).

* * *

He checked the pages and there were still 8 pages left, he stopped and decided to inspect the book's exterior. The names of the authors imprinted on the front cover, _Tullius Horatius. Co-written by Wilfrith Hubert and Aetius Horatius._

"May I inquire more information on the authors of this book?" Asked the research leader.

"Tullius Horatius, a Mountain Elf born in the Romalia mountains. He decided to record and summarize events that took place in the Falmart region, travelling almost the whole continent. He would search through villages, old ruins, abandoned fortresses, and sometimes, he witnessed the events himself. My great-great-great grandfather met him during the Imperial campaign in Arrun." Arch Mage Tadius said and pointed to the portrait, an Elf with blond hair in a toga, holding a book on his left hand and an Elven longsword on his right. Below the hanging portrait is a bookstand large enough for the Great History Book.

"How about Wilfrith and Aetius?"

"Wilfrith was an Anglo soldier and one of Tullius' close friends, and he decided to let him accompany on his journeys. Aetius Horatius was Tullius' eldest son, a very intelligent and well-mannered boy from what I heard in Tullius' other works."

The research leader read the English-Latin dictionary and asked, "Last question, what is the current year?"

"The current year is 167 AtC. After the Crusades."

Lieutenant Kingston received a message from his radio comms, "8th Spec-Ops Platoon, we've spotted large enemy movement moving towards the city. We have just alerted MEU-5. we're calling in CAS."

Calling in air support would mean that the enemy are in numbers that could overwhelm them, evacuate this area immediately, we're moving out right now!" The scribes scrambled to save as many data as they can, Squad-B already went out of the library to secure the exterior sectors.

Kingston switched off his rifle's safety, ready for a fight. He checked on his mates, they're ready. The researchers, ready as well.

There were city guards running towards the gates they entered previously. Infantry of the MEU-5 were within the fortified city walls, watching the advance of enemy troops.

3rd Recon Team and 4th Deep-Recon Platoon kept full watch on the enemy legions' activity. There were about three legions marching towards Rondel, all in formation.

"This is Avenger-1, requesting CAS immediately."

"Acknowledged Avenger-1, CAS will arrive in approximately 20 minutes."

"How copy?"

"Repeating, 20 minutes. Good luck Avenger-1." 20 minutes, by the time the CAS aircraft arrives they would be laying siege to the gates already. "TurtleBack-1F, Armadillo-1D, blast those targets!"

The Challenger-6 MBT swerved its turret towards the formations of legionaries. It fired an HE round, breaking away the first line of formation. The footsoldiers began scattering in smaller groups.

Turtleback-1F already fired 8 shells, each shell only eliminating 6-9 hostiles. The AITV III, codenamed 'Armadillo-1D' had more success, but missed a couple of shots too.

The recon teams started firing their weapons at the legionaries.

"Research team, withdraw from the alternate exit route. MEU-5 will cover us. Double time, double time!" Kingston shouted as the last two scribes entered their armored vehicles. The BPMD will lead the way, backed by the IMVs.

He heard the noise of a chopper's rotors. He looked up and saw a silhouette of an attack helicopter in the blue sky.

The recons saw it as well. Katsuo identified to be an Mi-28 gunship. But he couldn't see the markings of the attack helicopter clearly. It fired its chain gun, strafing a line of enemy infantry.

"8th Spec-Ops Platoon, can you identify the helicopter?" Katsuo asked.

"Negative Lieutenant Youji, we didn't even have the Havoc in our arsenal." So who does it belong to? He got a good guess. The helicopter gunship hovered to the left, moving a little closer to 3rd Recon Team's position.

Katsuo could finally identify the markings on the gunship, a crooked cross in dark blue color with golden wings behind it. The Air Force roundel of the UIA.

It fired a hail of rockets on another line, then strafed one more with its 30mm autocannon. The Imperials decided to deploy two wyverns, failing to learn the mistakes in Ginza and Gothenburg. The gunner targeted the chain gun on the wyverns, tearing them to pieces with the high-explosive rounds.

The Mi-28 made its last strafing run on the legions before pulling out of the area. The gunship was able to destroy almost a whole legion before leaving the rest to the Coalition infantry. The Challenger-6 and AITV-III continued its barrage on the legions.

10 minutes passed, air support finally arrived, a Dutch VTOL gunship zoomed past Katsuo's outpost and strafed a row of legionaries.

The city gates opened, giving the MEU-5 armored vehicles an exit out of the city. The IFVs first targeted the hostiles closest to the city walls, then focused on the footsoldiers that were in the open field. Infantrymen occupied themselves in taking out enemies, mainly Imperial battle mages, from their fortified positions in the city walls.

A cornicen sounded the bugle, the legionaries and auxiliaries turned around and started retreating.

"This is Vulture-4, the legions are retreating."

"Roger that Vulture-4, thanks for the air support." The VTOL gunship continued its patrol around the area, relieving the soldiers' need to take watch on the walls.

MEU-5 and the research team were ordered by the Command to return to base. The convoy's withdrawal from the city was covered and protected by the Recon teams, 8th Spec-Ops Platoon, and the gunship.

"SunRay-1, the research convoy has been successful in its departure out of the city."

"Good to hear, Avenger-4. Return to base immediately." The Commander's tone seemed urgent. Something must've happened that required them to head back to the base. He told his platoon mates to prepare for their departure of the city.

8th Spec-Ops Platoon left the city, on the way joined by 3rd Recon Team and 4th Deep-Recon Platoon.

* * *

 **Imperial Camp, 300 km west of Bellnahgo.**

A messenger rode his horse into the fortified camp, where the forces under the command of General Valentinus and Gauis Agrippa are currently resided. He walked in a fast pace towards General Valentinus, who was watching the troops marching to Bellnahgo. Blocking his way to the General were his guards. He asked to speak to the General, he saw him raise his left hand, commanding his bodyguards to let him past.

"Sir." He greeted the General with a salute. "News just came in of the legions' retreat."

"The casualties?"

"We lost a whole legion and a half."

Valentinus shook his head in disappointment. "Not surprised. That foolish warlord." He muttered, glaring at his fellow General from a distance. Gauis Agrippa, born from a Patrician family. Known to be a 'warfreak' and arrogant during his teenage years, still is one. He was also the general who supports the continuation of the war against the Armies from beyond the Gate.

"Thank you for the report, you may return to your other duties." The messenger saluted and left.

* * *

 **UIA Special Region Camp, Romalia Mountains, Falmart**

Captain Accardo was observing an old castle that stood in the slope of the Romalia Mountains, with a glass of red wine, his second favorite drink. The castle could only be clearly seen using optical telescopes.

It was an impressive fortress to behold, its design was identical to the castles built in Germany during the Middle Ages. He already sent a squad of SCOG troopers to explore the castle. He raised his shot glass and sipped in the sweet and bitter flavors of the wine, enjoying it.

* * *

 **2074\. The establishment of the Chinese Federation, like the former Chinese Union, was all so sudden. There was little information on how, when, and why it happened. The CCP and the Kuomintang were also found to be completely silent during the event, like they suddenly disappeared from the sphere of influence within North, South, and East Asia.**

 **Nobody really knew why the Union was recreated. There were several speculations, the most prevalent theory being the governments' concern of the possibility of an UIA attack on the Mainland and Formosa Islands.**

 **The Federation was received with mixed response from multiple countries and global organizations, some stated it was another attempt of Chinese expansion, while others praised it as unity between the Chinese nations.**

 **The governance was split with two leaders, one on the Mainland, and the other on what is regarded as the 'Formosa Islands', including Taiwan, Penghu, Matsu, and Kinmen. The main Kinmen island was the original setting of the Federation headquarters, but was transferred to Nanjing for security reasons in 2076.**

 **A broadcast from radio stations and media outlets stated that a meeting between the two governments took place in the Lieyu island of Kinmen.**

 **October 19, 2076. The Chinese Federation Armed Forces was created, both Taiwanese and Chinese military personnel were integrated within the CFAF. Branches of the CFAF include the Federation Army, Federation Air Force, and the Federation Navy.**

 **2078, Chinese recon units spotted ILA insurgents setting up camp in the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. Federation intelligence feared that the ILA remnants are trying to regrow its numbers. The CFAF was called in, engaging ILA remnants in small firefights. Coalition special forces were also deployed to root out insurgent camps.**

 **2079\. UIA and the Chinese Federation struck a deal that will prevent a war between the two. In turn, the UIAF would assist the Federation Armed Forces in providing security for trade routes in the Silk Road. Thus avoiding more deaths in the war. However, the treaty reduced the obstacles the UIA would face in expanding its influence.**

 **Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Mainland China**

The Headquarters of the Chinese Federation, a grand building with mixed elements of modern and traditional Chinese architecture. Two C-RAMs and two SAM batteries guard the building from artillery projectiles and aerial threats. The courtyard and interior are patrolled by military policemen. IFVs and armored cars are stationed in the garage if additional support is needed by the guards.

The main office is where the Federation Foreign Minister conducts his work. A portrait of Sun Yat-Sen, the "Father of the Nation" and "Forerunner of democratic revolution" hung behind the Minister's desk, like all offices of the Federation.

Three important officials, Hou Qiang, the Division-Director of the Mainland, Zhou Jiahao, Division-Director of the Taiwanese islands, and Lau Zheng, the Chinese Federation's Foreign Minister, were conversing on both the domestic and foreign topics.

The Defense Ministry is currently conducting research programs for an improvement of the standard personnel combat armor and energy-phased infantry weaponry.

Chinese diplomats are being sent by the Federation to improve their relations with neighboring Asian countries, hoping to improve their reputation in the Asian continent. Despite the UIA's assistance of Northern Korea, the Chinese Federation quickly accepted the need of expeditionary troops by North Korea.

A knock was heard on the door, the MP guard opened the door, letting an officer in dark-grey coat walk in. He gave them a salute, "Good afternoon sirs, please pardon for my disturbance."

"No worries Mr. Guan. We expect that you've brought the report."

Jian nodded, "Yes sir, here it is." He took out a folder from his great coat.

He sat on a chair and waited for them to finish reading the documents.

"Shall we announce this to their families?" Inquisitor Jian asked.

The Leader of the Mainland-Division shook his head, "Not yet, we must know the current status of the missing workers. Lau Zheng." He turned to the foreign minister, the leaders already familiarized themselves with the other officials, hence why they address their names without formalities.

"We shall initiate talks with Japan. Perhaps we could send a contingent of our armed forces beyond the Ginza Gate." The two other officials nodded in approval.

While the Federation will send a diplomat to the Japanese government. Inquisitor Jian will gather support from the Coalition of Nations.

 **NOTE: The timeline in the Realm of the Special region/Terra is different from the one in Earth. The first opening of the Gate with the expedition of the three Roman Legions were around 120 AD, during the reign of Hadrian. While the Special Region timeline was probably around 4-5 centuries before the start of the actual Roman Empire. It could be quite confusing though. The Cimbri tribe also never migrated to the Dalmatia regions.**

 **I know, the history of Falmart was probably unnecessary, but this is just a juicy touch of detail and will contribute to the next chapters. Additionally, the history of Falmart is partially inspired by some historical events of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, with some twists.**

 **The English settlers that came into the Special Region were around the timeline of late Middle Ages.**

 **Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, one of the sons of Tiberius Claudius, was actually killed in 55 AD.**

 **I was originally thinking of using the Roman calendar of "Ab Urbe Condita", but found it a bit challenging. And decided to go for a semi-original calendar system for the Special Region. But it'll return in, later chapters. You'll see.**

 **Information:**

 **[1] Special Combat Operations Group(SCOG) is the most known UIA Special Forces unit. They were notorious for being involved in the controversial operations in Zimbabwe, and supporting the establishment of the Second State of Rhodesia. Another known controversy was the defect of a US Delta Force(1st SFOD-D) Operator to the UIA, and was spotted working alongside the SCOG in their operations. Nonetheless, the SCOG is regarded by international organizations as the most effective and dangerous special forces of the UIA.**


	13. Chapter 13: Assault of Bellnahgo

_**2062.** Emperor Takashi ascended upon the Chrysanthemum Throne after the death of his father, Emperor Ryuunosuke_, _in June 6, 2062. The reign of Takashi was unlike the traditional roles of the Emperors before him, he outreached his political influence over Japan. He advocated for a stronger militarization of Japan's defense force. He was known to have close relations with the Coalition's high officials, including the Supreme Commander. In the year of **2084** , he made a pact of military alliance with Germany, which made a short but heated controversy, it was interpreted by other Asian countries as a reminder of the Axis Alliance during the Second Great War, which the Japanese government dismissed the accusations. The Emperor and the Prime Minister explained the reason of the alliance, to improve the defense of the territories of Japan._

 _ **March 10, 2073.** UIA forces coming from Northern Korea invaded the island of Okinawa, easily breaching through half of the forces defending the island. Reinforcements arrived after a week, commanded by General Takeshi Ishiyawi. **March 28** , The forces under Ishiyawi managed to recapture Northern Okinawa. After 3 weeks, the rest of the UIA forces occupying Okinawa were repelled by the JSDF, with support from 7th Pacific Defense Army of the CoN. Total casualties of the JSDF and the CoN were more than 200 troops and 400 civilians dead, 20 were reported to be missing. On the UIA side, 800 troops KIA and 300 captured._

 _ **November 16, 2073.** Two UIA regiments occupied the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, both are part of the Fukuoka Prefecture. General Ishiyawi was tasked again in relieving the cities of its occupiers. The battle of Fukuoka city lasted for three months, ending in **January 8, 2074**. The recapture of Kitakyushu started in **January 25** , three JSDF regiments, supported by two UNAA battalions composing of Americans, British, Australian, South Korean, and German troops, assaulted the occupied city. The two early weeks of the assault were successful but were pushed back by a massive UIAF counterattack with land-fire support from two UIN destroyers. _

_**June 15, 2074,** Reinforcements arrived from the Coalition bases in Northern Japan in the form of the 2nd Expeditionary Corps. _

_**July 27, 2074,** UIA forces withdrew from Kitakyushu, allowing UN and Coalition forces to reestablish control of the city with little resistance. On the side of the UN-supported JSDF forces, casualties were counted to be around 1,000 KIA, 200 MIA, and 5,000 wounded. While the Armed Forces of the CoN lost more than 400 personnel, 900 were wounded and 100+ were accounted to be missing. On the side of the UIA, the UIAF lost more than 1,000 troops, 24 missing, and 400 injured. The Battle of Kitakyushu would be considered as one of the deadliest conflicts experienced by the troops of the JSDF._

 _ **October 2, 2075.** An armistice was signed between the UIA and the Japanese government in the Imperial Palace of Japan, Tokyo. The truce ended and prevented future conflicts amidst the State of Japan and the United Independent Alliance._

* * *

 **14:00**. The Japanese, British, and American troops were staying in their trenches, watching the enemy movement on the walls of the city Bellnahgo. They were ordered to capture the city, where Intel reported about the commander of an Imperial battlemage cohort residing in the city. As expected, heavy resistance came from the battlemage's ranged arcane attacks. A personnel carrier's left track was disable by a combustion spell, no one was injured.

They could hear the firing of artillery guns from the fire-support base. The artillery strikes hit the fortified walls, rubble and corpses could be seen falling down the wall. UAVs deployed ten minutes ago spotted civilians fleeing the city, but some still remained to gather their valuable possessions.

Light tanks belonging to the AFP were deployed. The light tanks used were specifically the Italian SCA-68, army troops stumbled upon them abandoned by their crew in the Northern and Eastern Mindanao regions. They were slightly modified to fit the logistics of the Philippine Army.

The platoon of light tanks aimed their guns at the walls and fired a barrage of 120mm HESH shells. The light tank advanced through the plains to their designated entrenched positions. Arriving at the trenches, they were ordered to maintain position and prepare for a possible counterattack by the Imperial cavalry.

While moving into a trench, one light tank was hit by a fireball spell.

"We're hit!" The platoon sergeant exclaimed in the radio. The damage was little, only leaving a small scorch mark on the armor plates.

"Ease up, it's just a small scratch." The tank platoon leader said.

"This is WarHawk-5, CAS incoming."

"Acknowledged WarHawk-5." said Major Royston, commander of the Americans tasked in assaulting the city, he resumed his observation of the assault's situation. Four wyverns soared up from the city and flew towards the first trenchlines.

The Anti-Air Platoon entrenched in the third trenchline targeted the wyverns and shot them out of the sky with ease.

"Firing guns." The CAS pilot spoke again in the radio comm. A loud 'brrrttttt' can be heard far away from the observation post of the fire-support base. The CAS aircraft strafed the wall defenses, finishing its gun and rocket run with a hail of rockets.

"WarHawk-5 out."

* * *

Anti-tank troops carrying bunker-buster weapons jumped into the front trench line. They set up their weapons, the gunners carried the launchers, while the loaders inserted the projectiles specialized for anti-bunker role into the tubes. Setting their sights on the damaged sections of the wall, they launched their rockets at the wall. The bunker-buster rockets finished the job of destroying the walls. The weakened sections of the bastions collapsed, taking the enemy defenses down with them.

The light tanks advanced towards the breached city walls, followed by Japanese Type-80 IFVs.

Demi-humanoid auxiliaries charged out of the collapsed walls. The IFVs aimed their autocannons at the auxiliaries, quickly devastating the horde of demi-human warriors.

Artillery strikes rained down on the garrison that survived the attack on the outer defenses, damaging the nearby buildings within the city.

The armored vehicles secured the exposed sectors of the bastions, allowing infantry to move into the city and proceed to the next phase of the assault, capturing the central complex and city castle.

3 IFVs and 2 APCs moved into the streets, disembarking the troops they're carrying.

Two platoons were in charge of attacking the central complex, with artillery and armored support.

Moving right into the streets, the Japanese and British troops engaged the Imperial legionaries in close-quarter combat. After dispatching the legionaries, the soldiers retreated back to mount their bayonets and treat their wounds, protected by the IFVs.

They spotted a swarm of auxiliaries ahead charging towards them. The IFVs fired their automatic cannons, obliterating the first wave. Automatic riflemen took up positions on the buildings and fired their machine guns on the incoming onslaught. Melee combat began once again, the UNAA troops clashed their bayonets with the auxiliaries' pole arms.

A Type-80 IFV rammed through a line of auxiliary infantry and fired its co-axial machine gun on a group of light cavalry. A fireball hit its side armor, the vehicle swiveled its turret around, looking for the attacker. Another fireball was cast to its right track, disabling the IFV.

"Razorback-2B, we're disabled!" Three more IFVs moved in, covering the crew's escape.

A JSDF light mechanized infantry platoon moved in and secured the streets the IFV platoon were in.

"This is Razorback-2C, requesting a recovery vehicle for Razorback-2B."

* * *

On the opposite street, the UN troops received some casualties against legionary reinforcements. The auxiliaries were armed with melee weapons yet were poorly trained, but the legionaries gave the infantrymen a challenge.

A Japanese private's head was just an inch away from a legionary's _pilum._ He desperately reached for his rifle.

The legionary pulled the spear out of the cracked gravel pavement, he rose it up, eager to finish the young private's life. A war cry was heard, the legionary had his last glance as a bayonet stabbed through his right hip. The force was strong enough to knock his corpse down to the ground.

His platoonmate saved his life, and extended his arm towards the private to pull him up. He grabbed his rifle, and just in time to witness a Coalition rifleman smash a legionary's face with an improvised trench club. Reinforcements from the CoN arrived.

Legionaries were caught surprised as they were impaled by the sawback bayonets of the Coalition troops. A Coalition BPMD's top armor plates were hit by a fire spell, absorbing most of the damage.

"Source of arcane attack spotted, left tower, 400 meters ahead." A JSDF marksman said.

Two AFP light tanks tailed the BPMD, the leading light tank raised its main gun, coordinated by the Japanese marksman's spotting. The light tank fired its smoothbore gun, knocking the base of the tower.

A fire spell came from the right tower and hit an APC, injuring a nearby grenadier. A light tank aimed its gun at the right tower, firing a shell into it.

The first layer of inner defenses are destroyed, two sections of defense positions left.

Two IFVs advanced ahead to clear the way for infantry. The armored vehicles were received by a storm of firespells within seconds as they traversed out of the street. They returned fire, killing 3 battlemages.

They swerved their turrets to target the other mages, but the Imperial battlemages quickly dashed out of their sights. One was cut down by a burst of gunfire from a rifleman. Two other casters were killed by machine-gun fire from an APC, but not before sending two intense firebolts to its tracks.

* * *

A Japanese light-attack aircraft circled above the central complex and fired bursts of 20mm rounds on the central defenses located within the complex.

It finished its gun run with a bomb, dropping it on the intended target, a fortified barracks.

Back at the first trenchline, self-propelled guns loaded their artillery cannons. Preparing for an artillery barrage, they raised their guns up.

"Fire!" The SPG platoon leader said in their radio comm. The 4 mobile artillery guns launched high-explosive shells to the sky, eventually losing speed and fell downward to their target, the city castle.

The Count of Bellnahgo was being evacuated by his bodyguards. A small cohort of legionaries were left behind to guard the Eastern exit.

"Don't worry my lord, your family is safe and on their way to Telta." The security captain informed the Count as he assisted him in getting onto the carriage. His bodyguard detachment rode in another carriage, except for the security captain who was with him in the transport. The Count looked back at his castle, now burning in ruins. A chain of combustion erupted within the upper sections of his beloved castle, created by the 'fire artillery' of the Japanese. The battlemage commander was still inside the castle, that is until he saw him run out of the castle gates, still wearing his distinct red robe, his armor covered underneath it.

His adjutant came to him with his horse, the generals had just issued a retreat for all Imperial forces. The mage commander was hesitant, desiring to fight to their last breath. But he didn't want to disobey the generals' order either.

He eventually ordered their aeneator to sound the horn for retreat.

* * *

 **Central Complex, Bellnahgo**

A group of 12 battlemages that were holed up in the central complex heard the horn.

They were relieved to finally hear the order for retreat, as many of their comrades were getting killed. A battlemage peeked through his cover, seeing whether it was clear for them to move out or not. He spotted four of those metallic beasts that spew fire, followed by about 12-16 enemy soldiers. The heads of those odd-shaped beasts were scanning the area, not noticing their group yet.

"Now's the chance, go." The battlemage whispered to his mates. They sneaked out of their covers, one was moving along the pillars of the complex when he was suddenly blown to pieces. The mages looked back, the metal beasts were aiming at them.

"Run!"

The IFVs fired their autocannons, pursuing the surviving battlemages. They tried using their speed boost, but not fast enough to outrun the 30mm high-explosive rounds.

By the time they got to the Eastern gate, only 5 of them survived.

The survivors were greeted by the adjutant's question, "Only five of you left?" All of them exhaustingly nodded.

"Pity, but we have to move on. The commander already moved ahead with the others." He ordered the legionaries that remained to bring them horses.

* * *

The central complex was captured and secured, a heavy transport helicopter of the Coalition touched down on the plaza and dropped off a platoon.

A sergeant approached the platoon leader, "You're Lieutenant Kingston right? 8th Spec-Ops Platoon?"

"Correct." He answered.

"I'm Sergeant Gehring, 5th Assault Squad, 3rd Advanced Armored Infantry Battalion. SunRay-2 told us to meet with you in the assault of the castle." The sergeant pointed at the tall castle beyond the central plaza.

The Coalition and UN forces pushed towards the castle of Bellnahgo, breaking through the remaining weakened defenses. The castle was abandoned, most of the treasure and important belongings were despoiled by the previous occupants of the castle. They thoroughly searched all levels and rooms, the battlemage commander was long gone.

"SunRay-1, our target is not here. The 'game' is not present in the designated area."

"...Acknowledged. Change of objectives, vacate out of the castle, meet up with the other forces and finish off the remaining resistance."

"Copy that SunRay-1, we're moving out." Getting out of the fortress, they were met by an armored infantry platoon of the JGSDF. The JSDF troops were engaging the enemy footsoldiers from a distance.

Javelins launched from the back of the shieldsmen, the soldiers quickly moved to the rear of the personnel carrier.

A rifleman's right leg got hit by one of the javelins, crashing down to a debris of marble. He grasped his injured leg, the javelin still stuck through it. He stifled a scream of pain.

"Fedorov, Stenett, suppressive fire. Friedhelm, on me." Lieutenant Kingston said and ran across the street, followed by their combat medic.

"Friedhelm, take care of him. I'll cover your retreat back to the platoon." The lieutenant ordered him, switching his rifle to 3-rounds burst fire mode.

The APC moved forward and fired its main armament on the shieldsmen. The 12mm rounds were enough to break down and penetrate the shieldsmen's formation, the javelin throwers were about to launch another set of javelins but were cut down by machinegun fire. The suppressive cover made by the armored vehicles and automatic riflemen gave the lieutenant and medic a safe passage across the road and back to their platoon.

Corporal Friedhelm set the injured rifleman down the pavement and began his treatment of the rifleman's wound. Kingston climbed through a rubble of what used to be a house. Fedorov, one of their automatic rifleman, was on it as well. Both of them scanned the ruined street, legionaries in a _testudo_ formation marching towards them. The Japanese and Coalition troops fired their weapons on the legionaries.

Their shots barely dented the shields of the footsoldiers, surprising the soldiers.

"Must be some sort of enchantment cast upon the shields. APC, target those legionaries, 110 meters." Kingston ordered to the APC commander. The 12mm HMG turret of the personnel carrier aimed at the tortoise formation, firing a burst of machine-gun fire. The heavy-machine gun was powerful enough to knock down the shields, fracturing the _testudo_ formation of legionaries.

A Luftwaffe armed variant of the LTP-80 launched two rockets on the line of legionaries ahead them, clearing the street off of enemies.

Wilhelm, brother of Sergeant Friedhelm and the combat medic of the unit cheered at the sight of the VTOL aircraft firing its weapons, " _Ja! Sprengen jene bastarde!"_

The Japanese armored infantry platoon slowly advanced through the street without any disturbance, checking each block of the street. The Japanese were then followed by 5th Assault Squad and 8th Special Operations Platoon.

Before moving to the next sector, they checked both sides of the end of the street. JSDF armored vehicles were firing their armaments on the left side, they peered to the right and saw the platoon of AFP light tanks traversing across the road ahead.

"Street secured." The platoon leader said and moved to the nearest building, followed by his men.

* * *

 **16:28.** The scattered spots of resistance were finally wiped out, and the rest that surrendered were rounded up and captured as prisoners of war. Medevac units were being sent into the secured city.

A JSDF transport helicopter landed on the fire-support base. Major Royston and Lieutenant Colonel Belanger, commander of the British forces in the assault of Bellnahgo, met the main passenger of the helicopter, General Takeshi Ishiyawi.

The commanders exchanged their salutes and paced to the observation post.

"So, reports on the casualties?" General Takeshi asked.

The British lieutenant colonel spoke, "The current count of casualties were; 10 British, 12 Americans, 18 Japanese, and 8 Coalition troops confirmed to be killed in action. A total of 48 KIA on our side, wounded were totalled to be 65. The Imperial casualties were amounted to be more than 2,000 dead and 500 captured. 28 civilians were found to be dead." He was dismayed, but not surprised, civilian casualties were unavoidable.

"Here's the printed report if you want more specifications sir." He handed him a plain white folder.

"Thank you very much." The General said.

"Shall we inform the public of the aftermath?" Major Royston asked, seeking a suggestion from the Japanese General.

"Not yet, the Coalition and the UNAA high officials have agreed to initiate a temporary silence on the phases of our campaign within the Special Region. Therefore no information about our operations must be released to the public press."

* * *

 **Note: The anti-bunker launcher used during the early phases of the assault on Bellnahgo is similar to the American Mk. 153 SMAW and the Swedish Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle.**

 **Also, back on Chapter 8, please correct me in case the phrase I used was incorrect in both spelling and grammar. Pardon for I'm not fluent in the Filipino language, my friend just taught me the basics.**


	14. Chapter 14

_**January 10, 2069. The UN held a meeting in their headquarters in New York City, a meeting which granted official approval of the creation of the United Nations Allied Army(UNAA), in response against the UIA invasion of French territories. Original member states that deployed troops under the flag of the UNAA were the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand.**_

 _ **2070, the United States of America and Ireland joined the UNAA in their defense against UIA forces. Canada considered participating but canceled to prevent the threat of the UIA retracting its disinterest in having armed conflicts with Canada.**_

 _ **In the year of 2072, South Africa, Germany, and the Netherlands joined the UNAA and contributed in deploying troops to support French defenses.**_

 _ **2076, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan joined the UNAA and sent non-combat units and police personnel to support UN troops in the Middle East.**_

 _ **The UNAA experienced their first major failure in the First African Campaign during the years of 2071 to 2073. The British Air Force lost 3 squadrons to intense dog-fighting and UIA anti-aircraft units. One battalion of US Marines were wiped out in the firefights in Kenya. Germany lost four armored companies in Uganda and Sudan. Numbers of UN military vehicles destroyed by ambushes and lands mines were estimated to be around 400.**_

 _ **The UNAA casualties in the First African Campaign were 9,300 killed in action, 1,529 wounded, and 512 missing in action.**_

 _ **UIA casualties were more than 5,000 killed in action, 2,516 wounded, and 898 missing.**_

 _ **The First Campaign in Africa was considered a costly armed conflict for both the UN and the UIA. As the UIA lost 5 out of 8 of its well-trained African units, while the UNAA lost a large number of men. It was however, still widely considered a strategic victory for the UIA.**_

* * *

 **March 28, 2085 (167 AtC, Special Region timeline)**

Our return to MOB-Alnus was just like any other day, debriefing, rest until another mission is given to our unit, and in the meantime of resting, maintain our equipment, get a good sleep. Sergeant Hoefler and Private Leclair were playing cards. Amelia was out once again, never knew where she keeps going during our rest time. Crisanto Guiraldo, Booker Derricks, drivers of our IMVs, Aston Spencer and Braxton Osborne, gunners of our IMVs, Colton Underwood and Edward Calhoun, the commanders of our two Lynx IMVs, were all in the garage maintaining their vehicles. The crew of our APC, Elwood Stephenson, driver, Eugene Brewster, gunner, and Godfrey Clifford, commander of the AITV-III, were chatting with our two other platoonmates, Corporal Edgar Barton and Sergeant Ludger Hummel. Edgar is a marksman from the British Army, and Ludger, a sharpshooter of the German Army.

I didn't have much to do right now, already cleaned my rifle, took a good nap about an hour ago. So I walked out of the barracks to take a light walk around the base.

The Coda refugees that settled in base were enlarged as long caravans of displaced civilians started seeking for entry into the refuge camp. The caravans started about a week ago, we didn't know that it will be this many. What used to be tents were now replaced by concrete buildings accommodated for the evacuees.

A crowd of engineers around the Northeastern section of the wall caught my attention, they were gathering around two C-RAM emplacements, stationary turrets purposed as defenses to intercept artillery projectiles, basically a land version of the Navy CIWS. Three units of automated repair bots were present as well.

The C-RAM turrets' armor plates were scorched, and its main barrel damaged.

"What happened?" I asked a rifleman that was guarding the C-RAMs while the engineers do their work.

"Didn't you heard about what happened last night? Battlemages attacked the Northern section, disabled two of our C-RAMs and injured four of our troops while they're on patrol of the wall perimeter."

"My unit wasn't here last night, just came back four hours ago."

"Ah, that explains it." And that was the last of our short conversation. I watched the repair bots working alongside the engineers to repair the C-RAM turrets, with barely anything to do.

A feminine voice called my name, "Neville!" It was of course, Amelia, I was familiar with the intonation she always used in calling my first name.

"Lieutenant Tanner called us to assemble in the briefing room." Looks like we're going to have another mission.

I followed Amelia to the headquarters, and into the briefing room. All of the platoon members were already there, and Third Recon Team as well.

General Takeshi and Colonel Leonhard Jollenbeck, one of the primary commanders of the UNAA expedition, entered the room, followed by Lieutenant Douglas and Katsuo.

Words were scribbled on the briefing board, "Operation Sauron". Lieutenant of his master, Melkor, and creator of the powerful One Ring. It was the name of a character in the Lord of the Rings. I recalled my younger brother having a shelf of the novels. A huge map of the Special Region was on the board as well.

The commanders explained the course of the operation, to hunt the Imperial battlemage commander, only known as Herminius. His battlemage cohort has been harassing UN convoys and patrols, and lately, disabled two C-RAM defense turrets.

Our mission, advance ahead of the main forces, which were two companies of mechanized infantry and four platoons of Coalition troops. And scout the Southeast lands, where the commander is believed to have retreated to. Two other recon teams will be conducting scout operations in the West, while another one will be near the Snow regions.

Due to the point that we're beyond secured UN and Coalition territory, we are provided with limited support, not even a HICA strike team nor a light gunship. To compensate for the lack of heavy weaponry, Turtleback-1F is still going to accompany us.

If we spot our prime target, we'll tag his location and the main forces will move in to seize him. If he resists capture, elimination of the target is immediately required.

"Any questions, or suggestions?" Colonel Jollenbeck asked us. We shook our heads, some of us replied "No sir."

"Alright, may the best of luck be bestowed upon you all, _kameraden._ Dismissed." The German colonel bid us before we got out of the room.

"We'll have an hour to prepare ourselves before we leave base. After all are prepared, assemble at the northern gate." Lieutenant Tanner told us.

And thus, Operation Sauron has begun.

* * *

 **Northwestern Falmart**

Three weeks of finding methods of transport, evading Imperial troops and rural patrolmen, it was all finally worth it. I bid the coach of the carriage farewell and continued my way down a path. I'm here, a long line of woodlands, beyond it is what I call home.

I walked into the forest, until I stopped at an all too familiar spot. A very tiny clearing with a glint of sunlight shined upon it.

A small trunk was beside it, I knelt down and knocked four times on the side of it. After a couple of seconds, I spoke a phrase in my mother tongue, a phrase taught by my grandfather.

A man responded back. I stood from my position and continued through the bushes, eventually meeting three guards armed with axes.

The center one gazed at me, then spoke, "Aldhard, it's been quite a while." He chuckled, "How's your time in the Army? Hoped the Imperials treated you well."

"Not too bad Ellanher, not too bad." I replied. "Got back here with souvenirs." I unsheathed my sword, a _gladius._ It was still in good condition, caused by his constant cleaning.

"Impressive. Now let us head back, shall we?" The guard on the right side of Ellanher said. He gave a hand signal to an archer taking watch in one of the tall trees.

We find our way through a longer path of woods, until stopping at a wooden gate. Ellanher knocked three times at the gate, it immediately opened.

Going through the gate, I could see the houses that I've always remembered in our village. It was distinct among the wooden-made huts and cottages. It had a light-gray color to its material, with maroon brick roofs.

It belonged to the families that have lived here since the establishment of this settlement, including the chief's family.

All of the villagers were doing their mundane chores and tasks. A few that were unoccupied were chatting or napping in their houses.

"Aldhard! Aldhard's back!" I quickly recognized that voice. It belonged to Arnulf, my long-time best friend, called me. Following him were his sisters Gerlind and Herleva. My cousin, Avelina, heard Arnulf's shouting, she dropped her basket and ran towards me.

They inquired me with various sorts of questions, my experience in the Imperial Army, the training we had, the food we were rationed with, how strict our commander was.

Avelina asked me if I made any good friends in the army. I told them about fellow conscripts Plinius and Arundel, and Virgilius, an officer, whom I befriended. Plinius, a young farmer in a village located in the outskirts of Sadera. Arundel Marceau, a wood elf from the Kowan village, a community of elves inside the forest of Koan.

They knew what happened to the elven village, from the news brought in by passing merchants and traders. The chief and the village militia were worried about the presence of a dragon roaming free around Falmart.

Virgilius Hirtulieus, former officer of the Vigiles Urbani and the Imperial Army. Has a family living in the Higher districts of the Imperial Capital.

Another voice, which I identified to be from Arnulf's mother, called for the three girls to help her pick up the fresh produce.

I was left with Arnulf. So I decided to show him the sword I brought back. I could see the shocked and exultant expression he had on his face. "A _gladius!_ How did you manage to sneak it out with you?"

"Didn't you and the rest of the village heard about what happened to the Imperial camp in Alnus hill, where the Armies from beyond the Gate destroyed our camp?"

Arnulf shook his head. "No, when did this happened?"

"It was four weeks ago. We were caught unguarded by a night assault. The order of retreat was given, and of course, it was incredibly messy. I was with Plinius and Arundel the time we were retreating away from the camp. There were two officers with us, but they didn't even bother. After a week of moving to several villages, in order to evade capture and punishment by Imperial authorities, I lost my horse given by one of the officers, stolen by a runaway thief. I-"

I was interrupted by a swift pull on the sleeves of my right shoulder. I turned around, and saw that it was my father. He got Arnulf as well, and ushered us into the house.

"Please just continue your story." He said before peeking through the doorway and closing it.

"I was able to hitch rides on caravan, until I stopped at the road leading here. That was it." I kept my face neutral, waiting for my father's reaction.

"So now, you're considered as a deserter of the Imperial Army, correct?" Father asked me.

"Not sure, if they even head-counted the missing men after the assault of Alnus hill." Father scratched his short beard, finding a solution to the problem, if this was even a problem.

"For now, you shall hide from Imperial visitors whenever they stop by in our village." Without asking him, I knew that I placed myself in a tight predicament, and maybe even a risk to our village. If the Imperials knew I was a deserter, they'll punish me, like the rest of the deserters that were likely caught.

My main concern were my three comrades, wherever they are now. If they were able to stay clear from Imperial recapture. Although a heavy feeling of anxiety was in his chest right now, he overlooked the negativity and put faith that they're all safe in this plight.

Father stood up from his chair and attended to his duties. Arnulf delicately took out the sword from its sheathe and admired it.

I took a jug of mead and poured it into a cup, and grabbed a piece of wheat bread. I really needed a drink, after the long weeks of stress.

* * *

 **City of Rondel, Falmart**

I entered a popina with a sign reading "The Wizardly Tavern". I heard this to be a bar most visited by the arcane residents here. So I was enticed to visit it. The tavern was thankfully not crowded at a time like this, as most residents are busy. I took notice of the occupants, a couple of guards enjoying their time off-duty, and some common folk of Rondel. Unlike what he heard about the popinae in the Imperial Capital and cities with large Imperial influence, where gambling and prostitution are commonplace, most of the bars here are free from immorality.

I took a seat and the bartender approached me and asked what I would desire, "Food or drink?" I ordered a cup of mead, not hungry for a large meal nor a snack.

The bartender returned with a cup of honey 'wine', I gave him the fee exacted to the price of the drink.

"Didn't know you lounge in here." Someone said behind me, I looked back and saw it to be the Bancroft, the elf greeter of the University. He ordered a small cup of wine and sat beside me.

"This is my first time in this tavern. I heard that this was a reputable place for a drink." I said, taking a sip from the cup.

We conversed for half an hour, asking assorted questions about each other. Bancroft used to live in one of the elven villages on the Romalia mountains, and moved to this city five years ago. He was mainly focused on healing magic, which he was getting proficient in, and offered me a couple of lessons to teach if he had time. Why not, the only restorative capability I could do is minor wound healing.

My drink was nearly depleted, and I was planning to head back to the university after this, so I chugged it all.

"You're staying here?" I asked Bancroft, he shook his head. "Not really, I still have three hours left before returning to my shift. So where are you going to head now?"

"To the library, find some books on destructive magic before attending another session of teachings. Wanna tag along?"

"Sure." Bancroft answered enthusiastically.

We walked our way to the university, passing by the greeter currently in her shift, a feline demi-humanoid, I never knew what their species were called. We got into the library, I roamed around the shelves looking for books, while Bancroft was studying a large book displayed in an ornate bookstand. I knew it was the Great History Book Virgilius and his party were sent to recover. It was a tome summarizing the past events occurred within Falmart. His father had one before, but lost it for reasons he never knew.

"Are there any books for killing dragons?" I asked Bancroft straightforwardly.

"A book for dragon-killing?"

"Yeah, or at least a book on methods of spells powerful enough to kill one."

Bancroft stopped his reading and thought for a while, "I know that most senior mages have trained and study such types of arcane spells. You should perhaps seek one of the veteran mages here in the University."

I thanked him and decided to change the subject of question, "So I'm now a certified member and junior apprentice of the Mages University. Are there any ranks other than that?" After successfully obtaining medical textbooks in the old library and significantly helping the mages in clearing it by killing a lich, Initiation Master Livianus gave his recommendations for advancing him into junior apprentice.

"You've probably knew the ranks lower than Junior apprentice, from the low to high which are Associate and Initiate. Higher than Junior apprentice are Apprentice and Senior Apprentice, after the rank series of Apprentice are the ranks of full-fledged Mage, first is Mage Aspirant, Junior Mage, then Senior Mage. After that is the highest rank in the University, Master. After being titled as a Master, after graduating out of the University, you could either be a professor, to teach the lower students, or be a scholar and contribute in experiments and studies. That's it."

"Thanks for that large chunk of info." A book caught my attention, " _Fighting Dragons_ " is the title of the book. The name of the author inscribed below the title. _Alcibiades of Massalia._ Upon opening the book, I couldn't even understand most of the texts, as they were written in a foreign language I was not familiar with.

I took the book to the off-duty elf greeter "Hey Bancroft, can you help me? I do not understand what sort of writing this book has."

"This...looks like _Ellinika,_ the language of the Hellenics. You could go to one of the professors here, Herakleitos, to translate the book." After school of course, he checked the sundial placed on the uncovered section of the library. It's nearing the start of the class.

"I've got to go now Bancroft, I hope to see you later." I said, slightly louder for him to hear as I ran out of the library. He wasn't nervous for the upcoming session, as unlike the conventional schools, the university has students ranging from the ages of 16 to some even reaching their late 20s. What he doesn't want is being late to the session, even though he never wanted to be involved in such classes. What he genuinely desired is revenge, against the damn dragon that lay waste to his village. But instead, he was stuck in this university, for now. He never knew this will takes months of studies.

He reached the hallway of study rooms and found the room allocated to him. He was still early, only five students were in the room.

He took a seat, and waited for their master to arrive and start the subject.

The four-hour class was over, they learned about the methods of curative magic. Thanks to his father's teachings and early review conducted his own hands, he learned most of them with ease.

His current priority was to find the professor Bancroft suggested to him. He asked their professor, Master Alypius, of a wizard named Herakleitos.

"Herakleitos?" It was quite a funny sight to see the professor rubbing his beard like a generic old wise sage depicted in the old story books. Despite it being amusing to see, I did my best efforts to hide my reaction in front of the professor.

"Ah...yes, I know him. His room is located in the Eastern hallway."

I gave my thanks to professor Alypius and began my walk to Herakleitos' chamber.

The eastern hallways weren't that far from our study room, so it was just a quick walk.

I knocked on the door, someone inside answered, "Come in!"

* * *

 **Yokohama, Japan**

I put my cap on and fixed the collar of my uniform. Before turning the doorknob, I took a few seconds to check if all the required things are with me.

"Ma, I'm leaving now."

"Alright take care!" She shouted from the backyard garden.

I opened the door and stepped out of the house. I stepped over the stone pathway and to the gate.

I started my walk to the bus station. Two days ago, I got a message from the Coalition VQRG Command, they invited me for a meeting.

I passed by a QRF motorized infantry patrol team parked near a vacant street, where cars rarely pass. I'm now in the street where my good friend, Katsuo Youji, and his family lives. He was deployed to the Special Region three weeks ago, and no news of him since the day he was sent beyond the Gate. And just two months left before I will be assigned to a regular unit.

She noticed Youji's mother walked to their house, hands full with grocery bags. He sprinted ahead to assist her in opening the gate.

"Miss Youji, may I help you?" He said, waiting for her response. Her calm face formed a small face, "Thank you dear, yes please." He took hold of one bag and led her into the front yard.

"Oh my!" The family's automated assistant, 'Yori', exclaimed as it slid the watering can it was using to a table nearby.

"Pardon Miss Youji! I was just finishing the garden watering duties."

"It's okay, I have some help here."

The robot turned its gaze to me, "Allow me to help sir." Its arms extended to me. I transferred the bag to the hovering bot and let it do the rest of the work.

"I must thank you again dear for helping me."

"No problem Miss Youji. Anyway, I've gotta go now, if you'll excuse me."

"Take care." Katsuo's mother said before I turned around and resumed my journey to the bus stop.

I read my wristwatch, **11:00.** I needed to be there before **13:30**. So I quicken my pace of walking until I finally reached the bus stop

The bus stop was empty, the waiting shed occupied only by two police officers. The next bus to the train station has not arrived yet, so I plopped myself down the seat next to the bored policemen.

10 minutes later, the bus finally arrived. I stepped onto the bus and took a seat next to what I assume is an office worker due to his attire.

The small television screen displayed one of the news channels. I could see the headlines, the anchor broadcasting about heavy military presence in the Ginza district, and increased deployment of security units in all prefectures of the country.

I could hear some of the passengers whispering to each other about the broadcast.

A middle-aged couple were doubtful on the enactment of law enforcement by the military. While I could see some that were pleased with the decision of the government. I caught the sight of two teenagers, both boys, gawking at the sight of Type-74 SPAAGs guarding the perimeter of the Imperial Palace.

I heard the speakers announcing the next stop, "Yokohama Station." The bus decreased its speed and finally came to a halt. I stood up as the doors slid open, I payed my fare and walked out of the transport. There was a line waiting for passengers to leave the bus, supervised by an Enforcer.

I could see the populous flow of civilians entering and exiting the station. The entrance were guarded by QRF riflemen. Two more Enforcers were inside the station's entrance, inspecting the possessions of all civilians flowing through the entryway.

The broadcast was right, two ASU robots patrolling the area. A HICA fireteam guards the escalator. I could also notice the armed sentry turrets active.

I stepped on the escalator, my peripheral vision caught one of the men donned in the HICA suit staring at me with its eyes behind the bulky helmet.

I would've taken a bus trip straight to Tokyo, but knew that the roads ahead will be flooded with heavy traffic. So I took a train to make the trip faster.

I was just in time to see the train to Tokyo braking to a stop. The passengers of the train exited first, the only remaining were 4 businessmen in suits.

A railway robot, purposed for assisting passengers and staff, patrolled around the platform, regularly announcing its programmed message. "Please stay in the correct queue. Remember to exercise caution near the edge of the platform."

I entered the train carriage along with other daily commuters. A beeping sound came from the door before it slid shut.

The train accelerated its speed, screeching along the rails. Conventional railways were still widespread, but proposals within the MLIT are pushing for the implementation and utilization of newer methods of light rail transportation.

The trip will take about 50 minutes or less, so I decided to doze off in the meantime.

* * *

I heard a loud beep, and looked to my left, the door was sliding. I heard a speaker announcing, "Tokyo Station."

I rose myself out of the seat and dashed for the door. Among the crowds of passengers going down and up the station platform were a patrol team of JGSDF infantrymen and three Coalition enforcers, surveying the area to ensure that the movement of commuters were uninterrupted.

The sound of my footsteps were mixed in with the crowd as I walked down the stairs. Announcements of the train schedules blared throughout the station.

Cleaner drones accompanied by a janitorial supervisor were cleaning what looks like a spilled greenish-yellow liquid in the middle of the room. Caution signs were placed around the mess.

I took no attention to the sight and resumed my way to the main hall. The atrium was the most alluring section of the station, with a dome ceiling and pillars supporting an elevated area and parts of the ceiling.

* * *

The exterior part of the Marunouchi section was safeguarded by two policemen, behind them, automated construction drones and engineers were rebuilding a damaged area of the station building. Scaffolds and barricades were placed in the confines of the wrecked section. It was damaged by a wyvern that crashed down, killed by heavy anti-aircraft fire.

The road in front of the station was patrolled by a Type-80 IFV. The same armored vehicles that defended the Tokyo Station and National Diet Building during the Ginza incident.

Now that the Ginza incident returned to his mind, he remembered an unpleasant memory, about a story from one of his friends in the QRF. During the defense of the Tokyo station, a cohort of Imperial troops and auxiliaries evaded the firmly established defenders in the Marunouchi central and southern sectors, breaking through the Yaesu southern sector of the Station. Eight police officers and twenty-seven civilians were massacred before the rest of the defenders knew what had just happened.

That report disturbed him greatly, remembering it made his heart heavy. It was just as terrible as the revolting sight of what the invaders left in the aftermath. It felt good being able to avenge such atrocities. Still, he may be disturbed at the display of QRF troopers bayoneting some of the Imperial invaders and survivors during the battle of Ginza, yet...He enjoyed it.

* * *

I could read the memorial lamenting the massacre in the Southern area of the train station. A simple yet beautifully decorated monument listing the names of officers and civilians that died on the tragedy.

I took the bus heading to the Coalition HQ bus stop. Passing by fully-refurbished buildings that were damaged during the Ginza incident.

The only thing he could see were lines of buildings and vehicles, until the Headquarters came into view.

It was a magnificent complex of buildings and structures. Their designs based on a mix of neoclassical and renaissance architecture.

The bus halted right in the parking area of the bus stop. A fireteam of QRF infantrymen were present near the bus stop, presumably guarding it.

The first area of the HQ complex was the tourist-catering area. A small park and a museum about the history of the Coalition of Nations.

Two robotic greeters were doing their assigned job, guiding and entertaining guests. One hovered to me and gave me a booklet. It must've mistaken me for a tourist.

"Welcome!" It greeted before realizing its mistake. "Coalition personnel identified. Oh pardon for my mistake."

It then hovered elsewhere to attend to the other visitors.

There was another memorial erected in the area, listing all the casualties of the Ginza incident. It was actually higher than the initial reports counted. **58 civilians, 23 police officers, 5 JSDF servicemen, 3 Enforcer constables, 12 VQRG personnel, and 6 QRF servicemen. A total of 107 people died.**

My chest felt heavier, realized how lucky I am to survive the incident, how I could've been among the casualties within the VQRG. Wish I could join Katsuo in his tour in the Special Region, to avenge the deaths.

I brushed it off, I must not waste my time pondering too much. I resumed my walk, making myself clear to go straight to the VQRG headquarters, where the meeting is said to be held.

I walked through the light-gray stone pathway. Poplar trees lined both sides of the pathway.

It was astonishing to see the buildings from a distance whenever he passed by, but seeing the aesthetic figures of the buildings up close was truly breathtaking.

I looked at the large sign above the doorway, **VQRG Headquarters-Tokyo.** Going up the steps and passing by the tall pillars. Two VQRG operators in standard combat uniform guarded the doorway. One of my few times actually seeing the uniform worn by operatives. As civilian clothing were preferably used by field units and scout officers in public areas that require subtle operating.

The lobby was relatively empty, except for an automated cleaner and the receptionist in his desk. Knew it was supposed to give a false pretense of emptiness. Essentially all headquarters of every branch has defense systems concealed within the walls and ceilings.

Glancing at my watch for a second, **12:40.** I asked the officer of the meeting area of 3rd Volunteer Company-Tokyo, "Hall B-7." The receptionist answered.

I thanked him and went to Hall B. Found room number seven and entered it. The room was large enough to accommodate seats for a battalion, with 3rd Volunteer Company occupying a quarter of the chairs.

Found out that the rest of my squad mates haven't arrived yet, and only two units were there, Squad-22 and Squad-28. Each volunteer company has 10 squads, and every city has 5 VQRG voluntary companies stationed around them.

He checked the clock, **13:10.**

A small stage was situated in front of us, a podium and a crowd of officers were standing on the stage. I recognized the commander of our company, Captain Himura, standing amid the gathering.

"You're early." The first squadmate to arrive, corporal Yamada, said with a tone of surprise.

"Yeah, I was surprised as well. How's your leg?" I asked him. During our return to the headquarters, the corporal got a leg injury after taking a clumsy wrong step in the stairs.

"It's improved for now. Thanks for the concern. Just need one more week and it'll fully heal." A tap on his injured leg surprised both of us. Yamada quickly turned around to see who's the culprit.

"Your leg good now?" Officer Suzuki said. Yamada nodded, "Yes, just quit tapping it."

"Alright alright. That will be the end of it. Just relax, okay?"

"Is this a quarrel I'm hearing?" Sergeant Mori said, following him were combat medic Hirai and automatic rifleman Suzuki.

"No sir."

"Good, we don't a disturbance in a very important event."

"How important?" Corporal Yamada asked.

"May I have everyone's attention here?" His voice alone was enough to silence everyone in their chatter. The only noise that could be heard were the busy clamor outside and the uncomfortable rubbing of boots. Supreme general and Operations commander of the special service, General Yaroslav Orlov examined the volunteers in front of him before speaking again.

"Good. _The_ Supreme Commander has arrived." He stepped down the stage and opened the door on the left wall. Who came in was no simple officer, no, it was the official who holds the highest authority within the Coalition. A former Supreme general just like General Orlov. It was the Supreme Commander himself, standing in this very room!

He talked with the officers for a while before walking towards the stage. As he paced his way to the stage. We stood up and in our best posture, gave him and the officers our salutes.

The Supreme Commander made a gesture with his right hand, "You may now sit down officers."

"My great comrades within the 3rd Volunteer Company, as one of the four companies that participated in the defense and counterattack against the invaders of Ginza district, we have concluded that your awards of fortitude is simply not enough to compensate for such hardships and risks of our Volunteers. And to my intuition, it is a must that I award all units personally in your service to the Coalition, and to the people of Japan."

We were called one by one to receive awards. My name was finally called, I stood up and calmly walked to the stage. I could feel sweat sliding down my forehead, but chose to ignore it instead.

We greeted each other with a bow, he then took the medal from one of the many boxes stored for each officers. The medal slid down and clung to my neck. We shook hands, the Commander giving his words of commendation. I briefly replied with a 'thank you' then walked to the opposite end of the stage.

After the unanticipated awarding ceremony ended, everyone got out of the room and resumed to their daily duties.

I _was_ about to do so when an officer called my name.

"Sergeant Matsushita. Calling for Officer Matsushita of the VQRG." General Orlov looked around the dispersing crowd before settling his eyes to my direction.

"Yes sir?" I asked the general.

"The Supreme Commander is calling for you, follow me." My nervousness tensed again, probably overreacting. Perhaps it might be a positive issue.

"You're on a lucky streak officer Matsushita. Field promotion, medal-awards, and now a personal meeting with our great Supreme Commander." General Orlov knocked on the doors and pushed them open to the Commanders' chambers.

Supreme Commander Goettner was reading a report in his desk, his head rose to see General Orlov opening the door, officer Matsushita following behind him. The three officers exchanged their quick salutes before General Orlov left for his office.

"Good afternoon officer Matsushita, please take a seat."

I sat on the chair placed in front of the desk, eventually relaxing my arms on the armrest.

"Thirsty?" I shook my head. "No thank you."

"I know you're nervous right now." He got me. "But it is nothing too much to be anxious about. Me and the local officers have decided, to transfer you to the Ground Forces."

I was astonished, I'm supposed to serve as a volunteer for another 2 months. The only words I could say was to thank him. But a question came into mind, "Will I have to go through the same training procedures fitted for Ground forces infantry?"

The Supreme Commander nodded, "Yes, you'll be sent to the local main training base. You have a week to prepare for your trip to the base. This contains most of the info." He slid a white folder to me. I opened it and read the contents. The base is located in Ginoza, Okinawa. Two infantry regiments and one armored battalion are stationed over there.

"Now on the information excluded from that folder, it's better if you ask them now."

"None sir."

"Right then, you may be dismissed." I stood up and gave the Commander a salute, turned around and left the office.

Well this was one eventful afternoon, a field promotion plus awards, a transfer to the CGF and a personal chat with the Supreme Commander. Wonder if it'll get more interesting.

* * *

 **ATP: Harem stories?**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: Woah, you almost predicted pretty much a part of the elements within the story that I incorporated with the GATE fanfic. To answer your question on exoskeleton suits, personnel that use exosuits within the military and police are only utilized by special forces. However, the origin about the mech was partially similar to my idea of the HICA, Heavy Infantry Combat-Assist Armor, which originated as suits for logistic, emergency, and industrial roles(Mostly for heavy objects-lifting). However, this is actually more comparable and identical to the Power Armor of the Fallout universe, Power Loader in Aliens, or the Power Armor of Warhammer 40K.**

 **Due to this being a 'fresh' expedition for both the Coalition and the UIA, they wouldn't immediately field too much of the advanced tech, as most of them are being focused into the ensuing war, especially in Northern and Eastern Europe. And since the enemy factions in the Special Region are heavily outdated in terms of tactics and equipment, except for magic. They wouldn't mass-deploy their most advanced gear when weaponry from even the early 2000s(the weapons most of the armed forces are currently having) would suffice. Which is why you could and will see, especially the UIA, to utilize equipment that would be considered outdated in the technological standards of the story's timeline.**

 **About the concept of mechanized walkers, well, I usually observed them having a high profile, which could be a disadvantage in certain battleground environments (not saying that other types of vehicles are flawless, urban areas are a death trap for battle tanks). Hence why I lost interest in adding mechs in the original story(The Great War 2068-2087). I won't simply show all of the tech in a succession of chapters, I'll introduce them in a slow pace, for now.**

 **That was a good review, gives me more vital info and tips that could help me in writing my story.**

 **What I really hate about myself is how reviewers could get ahead of me in some of my story plot plans, what a coincidence. Too much coincidences in my life, way too much. But anyway, thanks for the good review!**

* * *

 **Note: ASU(Automated Security Unit) robots' closest resemblance is the assaultron in Fallout 4. Think of the assaultron but up-armored and outfitted with ranged weaponry in its arms, with no laser-firing capability in its head and more focused on ranged combat.**


	15. Chapter 15

_**By the start of the 2070s, the relations between the UIA and Russia significantly improved with a pact of non-aggression between the two federations and the substantial rise of Russian weaponry acquired by the UIA. British and American Intelligence units reported that more than 2,000 aircraft and 20,000 armored vehicles were procured by the UIAF from Russia for military and security operations.**_

 _ **In the advent of the year 2079. The Russian ambassador of the UIA was assassinated in the city of Voronezh. Confused and believed it was a political liquidation and an act of war by both sides, border security forces were ordered to open fire on each other. Initial conflicts were minor skirmishes, the first confrontation allegedly started in Krasnogorsky district, Bryansk oblast, located in the border between Russia and Ukraine.**_

 _ **The first major battle between the UIA and Russia took place in the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, March, 2080. It was the battle that gave the Russian T-74VM a true challenger, in the form of the Stridsvagn 2/51C main battle tank. Coupled with a 152mm gun and agile speed, the Strv. 2/51C battle tanks were utilized in ambushes and risky urban combat against Russian armored vehicles. But what truly dealt immense casualties to the Russian armored vehicles were light anti-tank infantry using hit-and-run tactics.**_

 _ **The Ukrainian government, knowing that GFRF units marched into the nation's territory without authorization, responded by sending reinforcements to aid UIA forces in repelling Russian troops.**_

 _ **January, 2081. The UIA started its counter-attack operations against Russia, with the aid of Russian defectors and sleeper agents, accelerated the capture of Russian cities. By the month of March, the cities of Stavropol, Krasnodar, Saint Petersburg, Oryol, and Smolensk were captured by UIA forces.**_

 _ **April 17, the Provisional States of Russia were created by UIA officials in Saint Petersburg. Most of the officials and supporters of the Provisional States were a mix of those who wanted Russia to be part of the UIA and those who desired the restoration of the Tsarist Autocracy, dividing themselves into several sects, the dominant parties being the Unionists and the Monarchists.**_

 _ **April 21, The New Russian Liberation Army was established, commanded by defector Lieutenant General Ignatiev.**_

 _ **Starting from December 7, 2084, an armistice was issued for the Liberation Army and the Federal Armed Forces of Russia, ostensibly ending the civil war, however, not for the UIA and the Russia.**_

* * *

Nightfall was not an easy time for the UN troops, not for the UIAF either. Machine gun sentries and mechanized patrols guarded the fringes of the base. The patrol gunships gave the base all-round security from above, yet seemingly a false one. On lookout against night skirmishers recurrently prying around the outer defenses.

The machine guns were extremely effective against mass-waves of infantry and cavalry. During the first assaults by the Imperials, most of the machine gun teams encountered regular overheating.

"Sir, got the ammo boxes here." The assistant said, holding the door with his left arm while using his right to hold the boxes, all containing 12.7x108mm rounds.

"Good, just place those ammunition boxes on the corner over there." So that makes a total of 5 ammunition boxes for reserve.

Our machine gun mounted on a tripod, not a Carl Gustaf 50. caliber, not an MG3, not even a Kord heavy machine gun, instead, an old DShK machine gun was given to us. Like they just picked it out of the old dusty rear storage of the armory. The Ukrainians and Finnish have their NSV machine guns, the Greeks have their MG48s and MG3s, the Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes got their shiny Carl Gustaf 50. caliber HMGs, while we got a DShK.

Corporal Faraldo was still busy cleaning the machine gun parts. Private Alfonsi and Barsotti posed as sentries of the bunker, watching the range of pure darkness. And I was assigned to take watch using the periscope, modified with night-vision and thermal imagers. It was more comfortable to use than the goggles, never liked the feeling of wearing them.

A bip blared from my radio, "This is Sergeant Vasylyk, my unit has just spotted movements near the woods, northwest. Stay alert."

"Roger, have you relayed a message to the HQ yet?"

"Already did, out."

Despite being confined in the thick walls of the pillbox, we could hear the loud echo of the alarm.

"An assault! Assault! Assault!" Private Barsotti panicked while Alfonsi used his rangefinder to observe the outer surroundings.

"Contacts spotted, 500 meters, northwest."

I lowered the periscope and peeked through it. Using the thermal sights, I could see men, about the size of a company, charging out of the trees.

"Faraldo, is the 'dishka' clean already?"

"Ready sir." The corporal pulled the charging handle and gripped the triggers. He fired the heavy machine gun on his first prioritized targets, cavalry. The shadows of the galloping horses could be seen under the light of the moon.

I could see the positions of the Ukrainians firing their machine guns. Multiple explosions bombarded the foot soldiers and auxiliaries charging toward the IFVs of the night patrols.

"It's the Stridsvagn SK! Look at the carnage it's causing!" Despite Barsotti's mispronunciation bothering me, I could see the SPAAGs' twin 70mm autocannons crushing the first wave of cavalry and infantry in just half a minute.

The Main Expedition Command announced,"Alerting all defense units, UAVs have spotted a second group of hostiles."

Over a hill, I could see heat signatures growing. It must be the second wave.

"Contacts, on that hill, north, 900 meters." Tracers began lighting up the slope of the hill, salvoes of auto-cannon and artillery fire obliterated the descending assault.

A large object crashed onto the left side of an IFV near our bunker, momentarily disabling it. The crippled vehicle retreated.

"What was that?!" A marksman witnessed the damage of its side armor. An armored recovery vehicle quickly assisted to guide it back for repairs, while another IFV replaced its position.

The UAV operator beside him zoned in on his controller, "Artillery spotted, identified to be trebuchets, requesting strike on the targets."

The glint of a missile zoomed into the hill, erupting a concise explosion.

"This is Gryphon-2, we have eliminated the artillery pieces." The gunship circled around the hill and fired its armaments on the remnants of the assault. A fussilade of fireballs hurled at the gunship.

The pilot effortlessly dodged the fireballs and increased the altitude of the aircraft. The gunners returned fire, disposing most of the battle mages.

The gunship continued its strafing for 20 minutes. In the end, it finished its circling and moved to another sector.

* * *

Dawn has arrived, and when sunlight shone the hill. We discovered it to be devastated, dirt, blood and corpses deluged the ground.

"What a carnage." Private Barsotti inspected a rotten display of carcasses of the cavalry. "Here's a bucket in case you want to puke." Private Alfonsi tossed a bucket to Barsotti, receiving a quizzical look from him.

"I can handle this just fine. I'm no wuss, no worries." Barsotti said as he returned the bucket to the bunker storage.

In the midst of the corpses, a slight squirm of a dead horse baffled the private, "Movement spotted." Alfonsi readied his rifle and slowly approached the carcass.

A man wildly crawled out of the carcass, coated in mud and blood.

Private Barsotti got out and the first odor he smelled made him gag. "What's the awful stench?!"

Looks like mud and blood aren't the only things he was covered in. Barsotti returned with the bucket, filled with water. He splashed it on the survivor, who was too mortified to recoil in the splash of cold water.

"Requesting medics over here." Corporal Faraldo called in his radio. Barsotti got back with another bucket of water, collected from the bunker's water supply. He flinged it to the survivor, cleansing most of the dirt on him.

With the dirt gone, they could observe him clearer. He was wearing a bronze helmet, different from the Imperial _galea_ helmet. A brown medieval jacket as his top and bronze greaves covered his legs.

Corporal Faraldo waved for the survivor to come closer, but had no response from him.

"We'll need to get nearer. Barsotti, Alfonsi, let's bring him back here." The odor still lingered around the man, so they hurriedly dragged him back to the bunker. But not in it, they feared the stench may be transferred into the bunker.

Sergeant Constanzo returned with combat medics carrying a stretcher. The privates were amazed how the medics didn't even flinch at the smell.

Alfonsi took off the man's helmet, and studied the features of it. "Looks like...a helmet of the Illyrians."

"You got that right. Two more and I owe you three hundred credits." Sergeant Constanzo said. So the survivor must be part of one of the Illyrian tribes. Now they may have a hint on what region this is.

"Sir, got the translator you requested." The machine gunner assistant came back with a man behind him. This man was wearing a tunic and trousers.

"Trousers. How barbaric." Alfonsi muttered jokingly. The sergeant chuckled, he understood what Alfonsi meant.

The medics made way for the man to inspect the survivor. He started speaking a foreign language to him.

"Got anything from him?" The sergeant asked.

The man nodded, "Yes. Just like my previous unit, they got into a suicidal attack. They were simply told to attack the base with barely any support or strategy, only eight mages and seventy light cavalrymen."

"Got his name?"

"Yeah. His name's Enrik, came from one of the neighboring tribes near mine." The man continued questioning the survivor named Enrik.

"Who's that guy?" Barsotti asked Corporal Faraldo.

"He is Lavdrim, one of the Illyrian mercenaries we captured from the previous assault. And the only Illyrian that could speak proper English. Captain Accardo decided to employ him as our Illyrian translator."

The survivor nodded, and the medics raised the stretcher and carried him back to the medical center, accompanied by Lavdrim and Sergeant Constanzo.

"Got any news from the battalions heading to Deabis?" The commanders have set their interest in occupying Deabis, a major port city of the Saderan Empire, and crush a vital part of the Imperial navy stationed in the city.

"Received some from the communication officers, they've established an observation outpost and preparations for an assault are undergoing."

* * *

 **Outskirts of Deabis, Falmart**

The stone walls of the city are within range of our heavy guns, when the agent gives the signal for the launch, the rocket artillery sections will rain down hell upon the city. Assault units will advance from three sides, Southern gate, Western gate, and the port in the eastern area of the city. Two battalions in the west, a legion in the south, and 3 battalions on the east.

The central district of the city was the most disorganized section the operatives have ever seen, worse than the industrial district. Drunkards swaggering around the streets mumbling incoherent words, and some asleep on the streets. Street walkers in every block of the district. Regular pillaging of the innocent. Absolutely degenerate.

The scouts had a change of plans. Through their 2 weeks of surveying the city, they've gathered evidence of the city prefect collaborating with a large pirate gang, tallied to be more than 800 men.

Their headquarters, hidden under a simple house prevented suspicion from patrolling guards. They were waiting for their agent to return, tasked in finding the imprisoned garrison, intending to persuade them in helping UIA forces drive off the occupants of the city.

Disguising himself with a hauberk and a cowl, he explored the streets to gather any hints on where the soldiers might be imprisoned.

A crocked pirate strode beside him, resting his right arm on the agent's shoulders. "Nice mail hauberk you got there, where'd ya got it?" The odor of liquor evident in the sea rover's breath.

So he quickly answered, "The armor smith."

"Aye thanks!" The pirate took a swig of wine and drunk-walked his way to a bar, clearly not going to the blacksmith shop.

He approached two pirates wearing mail armor and nasal helms, inquiring the location of the prison. "Just go west, until you see a large building with two guards armed with pikes. That's the prison."

He gave thanks to them but was stopped by one of them armed with a _spatha_. "What's your intentions of going to the prison?"

"I was supposed to replace the guard on duty." He had a quick response to their question, as he had predicted at least some of the guards will ask him that sort of query.

"Let me see your assignment papers." He handed out a crude paper, the authorization of shift transfer noted on it.

The bandit skimmed through it then returned the paper to him. "Alright you're through, get going."

He arrived at the prison building, as the pirate said, two pikemen were guarding the prison entrance. Six archers guarded the upper area of the building.

The agent showed the guards his papers, they nodded and opened the gate for him to enter. The interior of the prison was worse than what he had seen in the streets. While the streets have small spots of human waste and blood, the prison was smeared with them.

He was startled by a coarse voice. "You're my replacement right?" He nodded, and showed him the papers too. The guard immediately hurled the key to him.

"Great! I'm finally out of here! I'm gonna call a janitor on this dreadful hole." The prison sentry, with no surprise to the agent, got out of the prison as soon as he arrived to replace him.

He looked around before he started his search, which was easier than he expected it to be. Almost every cell hall was abandoned, the pirates possibly released the prisoners. Except for one.

Someone was shouting inside the eight cell hall. I peeked through the peep hole of the first cell door, it was dim inside the room, with only a small window for sunlight. A man in a brown tattered tunic sat in the corner, digging in on a slice of bread.

"What do you want." The prisoner's eyes glared at him.

"You know the garrison troops imprisoned here? Legio Eighteen?"

"Why?" The prisoner asked.

"I need to talk to the commander of the legion."

"They're on the next cells." Disappointment was evident in his eyes.

He looked through the next cell door, several men in dirty clothes were sitting down.

"Eighteenth Legion?" He asked them. They all nodded. "You got that right." One of the men said.

"Where's your commander?"

"Dead." The same man said. "I'm the current officer in charge of this legion, those that are still loyal to the army."

"I'm here to get you out of this lockup." Their mood brightened.

"Are you with reinforcements from the Imperial Army?" The youngest of the group asked him.

"How many times do I have to say this, they're never coming for us. The rest of the Army are too busy in their war against the armies from beyond the Gates!" The acting commander said in a raised voice.

Another man, this one a lot older than the rest, even compared to the commander, approached the agent and whispered to him, "Sorry for his sudden outburst. He and some of the senior officers have been awfully upset on the recent coup, orchestrated by the city prefect and the leader of the largest pirate gang in this region, 'king' Florim. And worse when we discovered that the lower tribunes were involved in the mutiny."

"Who are these tribunes?" The agent asked him, but instead it was the acting commander that answered. "Bastards Maxentius, Naevius, and Vibius. Filthy traitors." He was supposed to ask them on how the occupation started, but they already gave him some answer in advance. How the tribunes and their bodyguards opened the gates and lower access tunnels for the pirates to infiltrate the city. Troops that were still loyal to the Imperial Army were enslaved, imprisoned, fled, or executed. The Imperial Navy vessels stationed in the port were burned and sunk by their crew.

"Thank you for the information. For now, keep quiet. I'll return with supplies and a plan."

The prisoner moved his ear away from the wall, he heard it all. They're planning a prison break.

He saw the 'guard' walking towards the door, he is not going to be left out of this escape plan.

Before he could pull the door open, the prisoner whispered to call his attention. "Hey you! Come over here."

"You want to be part of this jailbreak, yes?" The agent asked.

"Of course, and you'll need my help, I am Lucius, a volunteer of the local _Vigiles Urbani_. I am very familiar of the streets, routes, and underground tunnels of the city." He urged him of his role. "But first, I'll need to know what is your plan after this jailbreak. Cause I'm sure we're going to meet some opposition outside the prison."

He can't just give away the plans so easily, especially to a man he knew for only 10 minutes. So he will give simplified instructions to him.

"Before the time of _hora quinta,_ you will evacuate as much civilians as you can out of these areas _._ " He showed him a map, giving him no rush to study it.

"Okay, I think I memorized it all."

"Good, but you'll need to reduce the attention from the guards too. Try to think of some discreet idea to gather the civilians."

"All right, I can do that." After their agreement, the agent picked through the long chain of keys, and unlocked the cell door of the prisoner.

"What's going on here? He's not supposed to be released." They both turned their backs to see a confused guard. He instantly aimed his suppressed handgun concealed underneath his tunic. The guard slumped to the ground. The prisoner was shock at the guard's sudden demise.

"Perfect for a disguise." The freed prisoner crouched down and stripped the corpse of its equipment. "A clean shot to the forehead, very impressive marksmanship." He wiped off the tiny blood stain then wore the unharmed helmet. They dragged the body and hid it in a large pot.

They proceeded with their plan. They got out of the prison, using a furtive passageway known by the prisoner.

The main objectives were the defense towers on three sectors of the city wall. The towers were equipped with ballistae and archers, and may be a hindrance for the main assault forces. The destruction of the towers could also incite confusion among the defenders.

The agent quickly paced to the Northern district, where he was ordered to meet up with a courier. He turned left, going into a narrow alley. He saw the courier, a man in plate armor and cape as his commanding officer described. And his platoonmate, Corporal Olander, dressed in plate armor, nasal helm, and a mail coif.

"Hermes-4?" The agent asked.

The courier nodded, they exchanged a swift but convincing trade of lawful goods. He gave the deliverer a message to the CO. The deliverer gestured his companion to step forward, he carried two crates with him.

"Lead the way Thorsen." Olander said as he carried the crates and followed him.

They returned to the prison using the same underground escape route.

Olander gave him his issued firearm, a suppressed Gv-70B rifle. "Eliminate the archers first, I'll distribute the gear."

He went up the steps, covered by the descending sun and the barely illuminated staircase. He stopped on the last steps, the archers were in view of him. The agent looked around the rooftop before taking out his knife and slowly approached the closest target.

He yanked him down to his back and plunged his knife into the guard's throat, a slow death of drowning in his own blood.

What happened next was not what he wanted, the guards heard the impact of the guard's fall. Two archers closer to him drew their swords, the rest aimed their bows at him.

He brought up his rifle, simultaneously eliminating the two archers nearby and moved to cover. He leaned out of his cover and fired again. Hitting one archer in the jaw. He moved back to cover as two archers launched arrows at him. He leaned slightly to spot and identify the position of his enemies. He saw one rushing to a rope, he's trying to ring the bell.

Shot the runner in the leg, resulting in the archer face-planting on the stone floor. One archer committed a mistake of revealing his head as he shouted, earning a shot through his throat.

No doubt the shout alerted nearby guards on the streets. He ran down the stairs and saw the entrance barricaded with heavy furniture. Outside, the pirates knocked loudly on the doors.

Olander already opened the crates and distributed the equipment to the freed soldiers. Plate armor, proper galea helmets, were donned by the soldiers. Armed with scutum shields, gladius swords and pilum javelins. The soldiers were now well-equipped men. Sustenance for the soldiers were not a problem, as the agent learned from the commander that they were well-fed during their imprisonment, and were supposed to be moved for slave labor.

Olander was taking cover behind an arch, his AKM rifle aimed at the entrance. They still have to wait for one minute before the initiation of the strike.

The Broad-stripe Tribune and acting commander of the legion, Junius Pullo, shouted orders to his men. The soldiers rushed to the hallway, stopping twenty meters away from the entrance, then formed a row of shields.

* * *

A drone operated by a forward observer flew around the city. Tagging the key targets and transmitting their coordinates to the Fire Direction Center. The rocket artillery batteries, newly deployed to the Special Region for field-testing, received the coordinates from the FDC.

The rocket launchers elevated, pointing the rockets ninety degrees to the sky. The 300mm rockets ignited and launched toward their targets.

Few guards and civilians saw the glaring flare of the rockets flying toward their city. Baffled on the sight, they do not know how to react. The rockets landed on their targets, the 1st rocket artillery section's rocket hit the watchtowers on the three sides of the city walls. The 2nd rocket artillery section's rocket destroyed the occupied barracks of the pirates. 3rd rocket artillery section managed to strike the ballistae stationed on the walls.

* * *

Lucius glanced behind him, smoke rose from where the explosions came. The garrison and adjoining buildings were utterly ruined to large piles of rubble. He attracted civilians away from the garrison building by announcing a large discount of commodities in the market center. Almost every civilian flocked to him, and were now frightened by the sudden attack. He have to find shelter for the civilians. He frantically searched for a suitable refuge from the fight. The market district was unharmed from the artillery strike, but he predicted it to be a major combat zone of the city.

"Here! Lucius! Over here!" A man at the doorstep of a _domus_ waved to him. Followed by the flock of civilians, he rushed into the house without hesitation. The courtyard and rooms were filled with frightened citizens of the city. He wanted to know who their savior was. It was the patrician owner of this house. Before he was tossed into jail, he helped him catch a burglar seeking to steal the valuables of the house. This must be a compensation of gratitude by the man.

He hurried to the exit of the house, the house owner asked him on his suicidal decision. He gave him the explanation of his duty in vacating the civilians that were still outside.

"A war is going on outside!" The patrician had to shout in the midst of the loud chatter and cries of petrified civilians.

He passed through the doorstep, and ordered the servants and guards of the house to lock the doors. The street was abandoned, scattered carts and personal belongings being the only remaining objects on the road.

Back on the observation outposts, a heavy artillery company was called. The 2S7M 'Malka' self-propelled guns, modified versions of the 2S7 Pion, leveled their cannons on the city gates.

The SPGs' firing alarms warned any nearby friendlies of their incoming strike. The alarms stopped five seconds later, replaced by the loud discharge of the heavy guns.

The shells slammed on the city gates, exposing a large cut for the main forces to begin their assault.

The commanding officer commenced the signal for the offensive. "Green light for all ground and amphibious assault units."

A mass incursion of armored and mechanized vehicles rushed to the gates. The main battle tanks were on the frontal segment of the attack. Infantry sat safely behind the dense armor of their IFVs and personnel carriers. Helicopter gunships and CAS aircraft bombarded the city.

* * *

The captain of the last standing Imperial Navy vessel stationed in Deabis observed the situation of the city. They have been waiting for 7 hours for the reinforcements to arrive.

His aide rushed to his side, notifying him of changes in the city harbor. Pirates were running around, some running to their liburnian vessels, and others moving up to the wall. The city was on fire, and they have no clue who caused it. They also spotted large explosions occurring on the wall sections.

During the past hours, the only decision they can do was to watch on as the city was being sacked and destroyed.

A sailor shouted among the crewmen of the warship. There were two types of vessels they saw, the familiar blot of the bandits' makeshift ships sailing to their direction. And green, fat vessels they could not precisely identify.

The pirate vessels, 4 of them to be specific, launched bolts at their ship, missing most of them. One struck a portion of the prows. They responded with their ballistae and catapult projectiles. The volley of bolts and projectiles crippled the leading ship. The pirate vessels launched more. Even though the crew was exhausted, they placed all their remaining strength to steer the ship away from the plunging projectiles. The Imperial navy and the pirates exchanged hurls of projectiles at each other. In the end, the navy vessel was able to sink three enemy ships.

While the warship was distracted by the three liburnian ships it crippled, the last pirate ship took the timing to ram the warship's right side. The right oars were critically damaged.

The size and armaments of the pirate ships were lighter than their Quinquereme, proving to be a fairly easy match against the pirates' vessels, but the ship came to its demise. The pirate vessel rammed deeper into the right hull. The navy vessel responded by launching more barrages of bolts on the pirate ship. The two ships began descending into the sea, with only half of their hulls visible above the water. Sailors and marines desperately swam for floating debris or land. The sailors were discouraged to swim up to the harbor, the pirates might kill them as soon as they spot them.

The sailors found out that their captain survived, he was unconscious and clasping onto a debris. Imperial marines and sailors swam in haste to rescue their captain. The afloated captain drifted away by the strong waves, making their recovery harder.

* * *

He was suddenly awake when the debris he's on knocked onto a hard object. He glanced up to see that he just wandered back to the harbor of Deabis.

He latched on to a platform and briefly looked around, the harbor was barren except for a few pirates. The pirates were looking at something west of him. Large green turtles invaded the harbor, troops rushed out of the giant creatures. They carried odd-looking staves that discharge thin firebolts at enemies. They were in green uniforms different from the shade of the steel turtles.

The 4th Amphibious Combat Battalion successfully landed on the harbor district and wiped out the pirates defending the port. Their next phase of operations was to squeeze the pirates until they are eradicated.

Lucius climbed through the rubble of houses. As he stepped on the next pile of debris, the rubble below him shook. The shaking got more violent, he could also hear loud noises. Like odd roars coming from an unknown beast.

They showed up, large green tortoises accompanied by footsoldiers. The soldiers had odd equipment, they were covered in green armor, not chainmail nor plate armor. They weld weird-looking spears, helmets that protect only the top-half of their heads, and woolen masks covering their faces.

He hid in the rubble just as a gang of pirates marched from the opposite street. They raised their shields, confident that they'll halt the invaders.

The soldiers crouched down on objects and debris large enough to be used as cover. Their weapons were not spears, but actually staves that vehemently spit fire. The pirates' shields were knocked down, barely putting up a fight against the odd soldiers.

The two battalions attacking from the east pushed deeper into the central complex. Infantrymen engaged the disorganized pirates in long range and close quarters combat. The 4th Amphibious Combat Battalion was nearing the central complex too, their armored vehicles leading the strike. They cleared the pirates guarding the arch leading to the central district. They planned with the east battalions to catch the unprepared pirates off-guard in their drunken state. The leading element of the unit was about to authorize the assault, was interrupted when the commander received a message from the 1st Legion attacking from the South. They had just captured the Central Complex.

A squad from the legion met them on the arch entrance. The district was captured swiftly by the elite 1st Legion of Italy.

The only task left for the battalions was to secure the buildings and round up surviving pirates. A light helicopter flew over the central district. The commanders knew it was the SCOG team deployed to capture the brigand commanders.

The MD500 light helicopter landed near the prefect palace. The operatives disembarked the chopper and was met by an officer.

The officer updated them on the situation. The leaders of the pirates barricaded themselves in the palace lounge. All guards outside of the lounge were eliminated by east battalion and Eighteenth Legion.

The operatives crossed a ledge to the balcony of the lounge. The soldiers of the east battalion and the legionaries of Eighteenth Legion rammed the door, not intending to breach it but to distract king Florim and his subordinates.

The SCOG operatives were already in the balcony, and the leaders were in their range. They could just drop them from a distance but Command ordered the capture of the targets.

An operative pulled out a tear gas grenade, his throw was disrupted when a guard charged at them with a sword. They dodged out of the guard's attack and dispatched him quickly. The leaders were now aware of the operatives. The tear gas grenade bounced fairly on the floor before releasing its contents.

The king and tribunes were bewildered on the tear gas, thinking it was hot steam. They felt intense irritation in their eyes, nose, and mouth. They started feeling difficult in breathing. They coughed until they collapsed. King Florim shouted in confusion as his vision was blinded by the gas. He collapsed with the rest of his followers.

The operatives, protected by the built-in respirators of their helmets, blindfolded the unconscious king and carried him back outside. The infantrymen of east battalion breached the door, gas masks worn on their faces, they were left to secure the palace building and the mutineer tribunes.

The SCOG operatives departed the palace with their captured targets, the light chopper that previously carried them returned on a makeshift landing pad. The helicopter ascended and lifted them back to Camp Romalia.

 _ **The Battle of Deabis was over, the port city of Deabis besieged by UIA forces from all directions. Surviving pirates were captured, and the three disloyal tribunes along with the pirates were crucified by Junio Pullo's troops on the coast and the roads leading to the city, as a warning against pirates and raiders. The Eighteenth Legion switched their allegiance from the Empire to the UIA, and took the Oath of Adherence as the auxiliary garrison of the city.**_

* * *

 **Town of Italica**

Princess Pina, Bozes, and her third-in-command, Severina, held a private meeting with Casel Tiberius in the town palace.

"It's unfortunate that General Valentinus couldn't attend our meeting." Pina said with a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"He is absent with reason, as he is busy with the war at Northern Falmart." Too bad, she wanted to reach for advice from the two men that pushed for peace with the invaders from the Gate. And there's only one currently present.

"At least you're here Senator Casel." Severina said. Her injuries recovered well during the previous week.

"Then let us get into the important matters. Tell me princess, what idea do you have that could help us in our goal?"

"They've offered me a position as diplomat between our Empire and Japan."

"This nation of Japan, they're supported by other countries right?"

"We believe so, they fight under the banner of an alliance called the United Nations."

"And the Coalition of Nations? Is it a separate union?"

Pina nodded, "Yes. And information from General Takeshi, commander of the Japanese forces, implied that the UN and the Coalition have principally different agendas."

A military policeman opened the door for a messenger. The young man collapsed with agitated breathing.

"Your highness...the city of Deabis...has fallen...to the invaders from the Romalia Gate that laid siege to it!" They were in shock, Deabis, a major port city in the South, has now been seized under UIA occupation. The UIA now has 4 towns and 1 city under their control. And the UN has the city of Bellnahgo and half of the town of Italica.

Every week, the Empire's territory is withered by opposition forces: the Armies from the Gates, the Tuba mountain rebels, and the vassal states that will rebel against them sooner or later. She knew in the future, the invaders may be at the outskirts of Sadera.

She is now fully convinced that she'll have to change to a peaceful option. Not only her, the whole government of Sadera will have to, or the city of Sadera will fall along with its imperial states.

But another idea developed in her conflicted mind. They could pose themselves as a weakened, surrendering state, and secretly rebuild the strength of the Empire. The mountains in the Snow regions could be a suitable place for recruitment and equipment production.

But will they have the support of the people? Civilians were clearly more contented under the occupation of the invaders. She looked worriedly on the view of the window, a large group of militiamen freshly trained by the UIA stood in a formation for a weekly inspection in the courtyard.

Their equipment was impressive for the local militia standards. Worn in full chainmail armor and proper helmet, the soldiers were equipped with javelins and swords and well-made shields.

Captain Accardo watched with satisfaction at the routine inspection of the new volunteers. The flag of the UIA Italica was heaved up to the flag pole. And the instrumental rendition of the UIA hymn played from a loudspeaker. This was a pledge of loyalty to the United Independent Alliance.

First Lieutenant Altoviti entered his room and stood beside him on the balcony.

"Sir, report from the SCOG exploration team in Romalia. The castle is now safe for exploration."

He smiled, he had been waiting this for two weeks. "Wonderful, please arrange a ride to Castle Romalia." His adjutant gave a salute to the captain before leaving the meeting room.

The volunteers were now demonstrating a testudo formation. Trainers simulated the throwing of projectiles while the militiamen steadily advanced, their objective was to reach the white line drawn on the stone pavement. They successfully crossed the line, their demonstation rewarded by the claps of the officers watching them.

The next demonstration was a drill of operating the ballista emplacements.

He recalled a suggestion from the weapons research department of a ballista modified with an autoloader. The concept was interesting, but it still required approval from General Xanthopolous, the Council, and the Leader. There were of course objections from the other commanders, proposing to give them old stationary machine guns and Browning automatic rifles instead. It was an idea he and Major Simonides found to be riskier than giving them auto-loading ballistae.

The officer returned, "Sir, the helicopter is ready."

"Thank you very much." He said and followed Altoviti to the heliport. The heliport was small, only three helipads were built around a square of defensive barriers. His transport was a modified Gazelle light helicopter, painted with the UIAF paint scheme.

* * *

The flight took less than half an hour. Flying past Camp Romalia, he could see the castle standing proudly in the slope of the mountain.

The terrain was unfit for landing, so he decided to descend down using a rope. He brought his rifle and hoisted himself down the chopper.

A squad of SCOG operatives and a light tank stood in a straight line formation waiting for the captain.

The squad leader rushed to the captain and offered a handshake. "Great to meet you Captain."

"Same for you Sergeant. Sitrep?"

"All except one level of the castle has been studied and scaled by the engineers."

"Except one?"

"Yes sir. It's sealed. Our engineers are currently trying to crack it. The interior is amazing sir, follow me." The sergeant was correct, the interior was magnificent as most of the furniture and objects remain intact.

Two paintings hung on the wall of what looks like a meeting room. The first painting, a knight in black armor and cape, a white maltese cross in the middle of his breastplate and shield. The second painting, a man in white tunic holding a sword and shield, a black cross in the center of his shield and tunic.

They speculated these men to be the leaders of the expedition of Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Order, as they found their previous presence in the Special Region, through a copy of Falmart history they got from the Elves nearby.

"Sir, we've got an update from the engineers about the sealed door, it's been opened."

They got to a lower lever, leading to a very long tunnel. A squad of engineers were moving aside the breached door. Standing in the edge of the doorway was a man in a special rig used by SCOG operatives.

The man turned around and smiled, "Captain we are glad you've finally arrived. We're going to start an exploration team beyond the breached door sir." He was Second Lieutenant Denver, one of the top operatives in the SCOG, he was part of a US special forces unit and defected to the UIA in 2076.

A small portrait of a man hung above the doorway. Accardo recognized it to be John the Baptist, a patron of the Knights Hospitaller.

Denver went ahead of him, so he ran to catch up. "Sergeant, maintain the security of this entrance. If we have not returned for half an hour, close down this sector and send a recovery team."

The tunnel was longer than they had expected. They've been in it for more than ten minutes until clear light was visible on the end of the tunnel.

The light came from the window of a metal door. The door was unlocked, outside the door was a beautiful garden. The moment they stepped in, a serene atmosphere was present within the garden. Multiple marble statues stood in a curve arrangement, counted to be more than 10 of them. This garden is close in description to the _Theikos_ garden.

A man was resting in a small stone bench. He wore a white tunic with chainmail underneath. His tunic had a black cross in the middle.

He lazily raised his head to look at the two SCOG officers. "New guests, after a century."

They were surprised to hear the elf speaking fluent English. But the Captain composed himself in front of the man and firstly introduced themselves.

"As guests, I believe it's our obligation for introductions first. I'm Captain Accardo, and with me is Lieutenant Denver."

"Captain, Lieutenant? I've heard those words before. Can't remember where. Now to my own introduction, I am Germanus, Carer of the Garden and auxiliary equestrian of the _Deutscher Orden_. Before you ask any questions, I'll have to cleanse myself as my mind is very unfocused now. You'll have to wait three hours before returning to the Garden."

"Then so be it. We'll be back in three hours." Accardo was annoyed on the short interaction they had with the elf.

* * *

Time, **1512.** They remained at the meeting room. Accardo looked around the room, observing the interior and stopped at a cabinet. It displayed medals and artifacts. What caught his attention was a badge, its design was a sword with a broken sun cross on its guard, and a hydra below the blade. He tucked it in one of his chest rig pouches.

Lieutenant Denver was preparing a late afternoon snack in the kitchen, a special recipe from his hometown. He distributed the treats to the engineers and soldiers. It was a small roll of bread, and a thin slices of color red meat.

"Pepperoni and cheese?" The captain asked, referring to the contents of the pastry.

"You got that right sir, it's a very simple recipe from my grandmother's grandmother." They quickly finished their snacks and continued their work.

CBRN specialists of the Army division sent in to analyze for possible contamination had just finished their task throughout the castle. They packed up their equipment and saluted to the Captain before returning to Camp Romalia.

Captain Accardo glanced at his wrist watch, the time is **1812,** already past 3 hours. They returned to the Garden, they found Germanus afloat on a small pool. He rose in a sitting position and stood up to grab a towel. His white tunic, which was soaked seconds ago, dried in an instant.

"An enchanted tunic I made with the help of Rondel Mages six centuries ago."

"Wait, but the Rondel settlement was built on the third century before the Crusades." Denver remarked on the mention of Rondel city.

"If you only base it on the summarized text of the History of Falmart. The city of Rondel was named after the plains it was built on, remember?" They both nodded, and took their seats on the stone benches.

"The Rondel plains had a very long history of wizardry present before the Rondel settlement was established. Ever heard of Pituntium?"

"No," was their answer, "What is it?" Denver asked.

"Pituntium was the city that was created beneath Rondel, a city mainly reserved for wizards and those with interests in arcane elements. The city was abandoned five centuries ago, caused by prolonged civil wars. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit the city when it was still inhabited. Although I do know a person who had regular visits to the city, Tullius Horatius, I am confident that you've heard of the name. Too bad nobody knows where he is after he passed the writing and publishing of the book to his son."

Lieutenant Denver asked with raised eyebrows, "What do you mean. He's missing?"

"Yes. All of a sudden, everyone lost trace of his whereabouts, even his relatives have no clue on where he is. Some say he's dead, others say he just needs some privacy. But the second speculation is unlikely, as he is missing for more than 4 centuries."

"When was the last time you met him?" Captain Accardo asked. Maybe they could get some clues on kick-starting a search for the man who had seen almost every event that transpired in the region.

"Six centuries ago, he was planning to document the Elven settlements on and in the Romalia mountains. For a book about the Elven diaspora in Falmart, if you ever find a copy of the book, I would like to have one. And as compensa-" The seven hundred years-old Elf was interrupted by the shout of men coming from the chamber entrance. His right hand gripped on his corresponding hip, revealing a handgun holster.

Germanus pulled out a handgun, identified to be a Walther P38, just in time as SCOG operatives entered the Garden. Surprising the two officers, they both pulled out their weapons as well.

"Captain!" The team leader raised his rifle at the armed elf, followed by the other operatives.

"I was not informed that there were more than two of you."

"You didn't ask in the first place." They glowered at each other, not intending to lower their arms.

Denver raised an arm and was the first to lower his rifle, "Calm yourselves. We must not resort to fruitless agitation."

Soon Germanus and the captain lowered their guns, and the SCOG fireteam followed.

"It is my mistake for starting it, forgive me for the sudden unrest." They sat down again. Germanus was going to reinsert his handgun into the holster but the captain requested to inspect it.

"That Walther P38, where did you get it?" Germanus raised it up and unloaded the magazine. He placed the magazine on the bench he sat on and gave the pistol to Accardo.

The captain was astonished as to how a handgun of antique value could show up in the Special Region. He admired the design of the pistol, he knew this was one of the original models that were produced during the Second World War, and held distinction if compared to the post-war versions.

"It was from a distant friend. He gifted me with this gun, taught me how to use and maintain it. You may wonder as well on how I could properly speak the English language, His colleague taught me."

Captain Accardo plucked out a small badge and showed it to the elf. "You recognize this badge? We found it in one of the cabinets."

He clasped it, the second he saw it restored distant memories. "This...was an award given to me as participation in their fight against guerrillas and bandits."

But who? Was the question he and Denver wanted. The elf decided not to reveal the answer yet, using his gardening routine as an excuse for them to leave the Garden.

"Sir!" His adjutant pushed open the door to the meeting room of the castle. "We've got an urgent issue from one of the elven settlements in the mountains."

"Why me?" Captain Accardo confusedly asked.

"You're currently the only available officer. Major Simonides is back on Gothenburg. Brigadier General Xanthopolous and Major Gimondi are overseeing the occupation of Deabis city.

"Fine. Lieutenant Denver, for now, you will manage the refurbishment of this castle."

"Gladly sir." It will be a busy day for all of them.

* * *

 **Announcement: This may be my last update for a while. I will temporarily designate this as a story on hiatus. As I have some business to finish. I'll be tentatively absent for more than a month.**

 **Information: The credits referred by Sergeant Constanzo is the official 'currency' of the UIA. The credits are paid to workers, civilian and military personnel, and could be converted to other national currencies. The original idea was to use it as a multinational credit for all member states of the UIA. But the proposal was changed in 2050 as important officials decided to retain all national currencies of the member states.**

 **Additionally, I will list out the closest resemblance of the equipment in the story, to the current equipment most militaries have. So you can have an idea on what they look like. And the chapters where they were first introduced.**

 **1- From Chapter 2, the Type-82 HMG and LMG resemble a Type-92 Heavy machine gun of Japan during WW2. Instead of using a metal strip feed system of the Type-92, the heavy Type-82 uses belt-fed ammo boxes. While the Type-82L light machine gun uses a 100-rounds ammo box.**

 **Next, the _KampfPanzer II_ Tiger is obviously inspired from the WW2 Tiger I heavy tank, with some parts drawn from Panther I medium tank and Tiger II heavy tank. Although the turret is the only similarity. You know what, just think of a modernized Tiger I.**

 **Also, the Type-80 infantry-fighting vehicle resembles a vehicle with the turret of a Lynx IFV and the hull of a Warrior IFV.**

 **The H-70K and UH-70 helicopters resemble an AugustaWestland AW101 utility helicopter, except a bit smaller than the original model which could carry around 24 to 45 men, this one is only sufficient to carry 4-8 passengers.**

 **2- In Chapter 3, the TSM Italian marksman rifle, imagine a bull-pup PSG-1 marksman rifle.**

 **The Ak-71 and AKU-71 assault rifles resemble an RK-62 with the stock of an AK-15.**

 **The Gv-70B assault rifle's exterior model looks like a G3 battle rifle.**

 **The AdA armored car of the UIA resembles a WW2-era** _ **Leichter Panzerspähwagen.**_

 **3- Chapter 4, the AuFz. II scout vehicle is similar to the S** _ **pähpanzer Luchs**_ **of the Bundeswehr.**

 **4- For Chapter 7, I will simplify the list.**

 **AITV III- Puma IFV hull with the turret of a Kurganets-25 IFV**

 **Type-77 SMV- RG-33 4x4 MRAP**

 **Type 80 ARV- M1127 Recon Vehicle**

 **Lynx IMV- ATF Dingo infantry mobility vehicle**

 **5- Chapter 8, simplified list again.**

 **BPMD-1 – A T-15 Armata IFV hull with the turret of a BMPT-72 'Terminator 2'**

 **M28A1 assault rifle- XM-8**

 **AR-35/M-35 assault rifle - Remington ACR**

 **M29 GPMG – HK21A1 GPMG**

 **G-78 assault rifle- G36 assault rifle**

 **G-78L carbine- G36c carbine**

 **SG-78K marksman rifle- HK SL-8**

 **MG-83 LMG – MG-3 GPMG**

 **Type-80 assault rifle- SCAR-H battle rifle**

 **M-1 PDW- AAC Honeybadger**

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 **ATP: I'll try to add as much political situations involving Japan, however, please note that unlike the original material, Japan isn't the only faction present in the Special Region.**


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